Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

seminary

/ˈsɛmənɛɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.54 in modern English

Syllables
sem-i-nary
IPA
/ˈsɛmənɛɹi/
13
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The place or original stock from which anything is brought or produced.

noun

Seminal state or polity.

Obsolete

noun

A Roman Catholic priest educated in a foreign seminary; a seminarist.

noun

An academic seminar.

Archaic

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Latin sēminārium, from sēmen (“seed”). Compare seminar. In the ground sense, from Middle English semynair, semynary.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *seh₁-, sēminārium, semynair

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈsɛmənɛɹi/
  • British English: /ˈsɛmɪnəɹi/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Questions

How do you pronounce seminary?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɛmənɛɹi/.
What does seminary mean?
A theological school for the training of rabbis, priests, or ministers.
Where does seminary come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce seminary

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “seminary”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsɛmənɛɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “seminary”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “seminary” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.