seminal

From Middle English seminal, semynal, from Old French seminal, seminale, from Latin sēminālis.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛmɪnəl/

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• Rhymes: -ɛmɪnəl

seminal (comparative more seminal, superlative most seminal)

1. Of or relating to seed or semen.
   • 1792, George Louis Le Clerc, Barr's Buffon. Buffon's Natural History, page 126:

     During the summer, he studied calmars at Lisbon, but found no appearance of any roe, nor any reservoir which appeared to be destined for the reception of the seminal liquor; and it was in the middle of December, that he began to discern the first traces of a new vessel replete with a milty juice.

2. Creative or having the power to originate.
3. Highly influential, especially in some original way, and providing a basis for future development or research.

   Synonyms: influential, pioneering

   "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" was a seminal work in the modern philosophy of science.

   • 1827, Julius Hare, Augustus William Hare, Guesses at Truth:

     The idea of God is, beyond all question or comparison, the one great seminal principle.

   • 2000, Walter Nicholson, Intermediate microeconomics and its application:

     For a seminal contribution to the economics of fertility, ....

• (relating to seed): germinal
• (creative): innovative, primary
• (highly influential): influential, innovative, formative

seminal (plural seminals)

1. (obsolete) A seed.
   • 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC:

     the seminals of spiders and scorpions

• Elamins, Malines, Melians, isleman, menials, salmine

Borrowed from Latin sēminālis.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [sə.miˈnal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [se.miˈnal]

seminal m or f (masculine and feminine plural seminals)

1. seminal

• vesícula seminal

• “seminal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “seminal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “seminal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “seminal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

From Latin sēminālis.

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: se‧mi‧nal

seminal m or f (plural seminais)

1. (botany) seminal (relating to seeds)
2. (anatomy) seminal (relating to semen)
3. seminal; creative; inventive

   Synonyms: criativo, inventivo, fértil

4. seminal (highly influential)

• sêmen
• semente

• “seminal” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Borrowed from French séminal, from Latin seminalis.

seminal m or n (feminine singular seminală, masculine plural seminali, feminine and neuter plural seminale)

1. seminal

From Latin sēminālis.

• IPA^(key): /semiˈnal/ [se.miˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: se‧mi‧nal

seminal m or f (masculine and feminine plural seminales)

1. (botany) seminal (relating to seeds)
2. (anatomy) seminal (relating to semen)
3. seminal; creative; inventive
4. seminal (highly influential)

• “seminal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014