seminary
noun
sem·i·nary
ˈse-mə-ˌner-ē 
plural seminaries
1
: an environment in which something originates and from which it is propagated
a seminary of vice and crime
2
a
: an institution of secondary or higher education
b
: an institution for the training of candidates for the priesthood, ministry, or rabbinate
Examples of seminary in a Sentence
a seminary exclusively for women
some claimed that orphanages were seminaries of sin and petty crime, turning out juvenile delinquents by the score
Recent Examples on the Web
At the Illinois seminary, Listecki was Grob's professor for a moral theology class.
—
Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Established last year, Nazareth is described by the diocese as Arizona’s first full-fledged Catholic seminary.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 3 Oct. 2024
One year later, Nasrallah moved to Iraq to attend a Shiite seminary.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 28 Sep. 2024
One of Milan’s newest hotels, it’s also found in one of the oldest seminaries in Europe.
—Maria Geyman, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for seminary 
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Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Established last year, Nazareth is described by the diocese as Arizona’s first full-fledged Catholic seminary.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 3 Oct. 2024
One year later, Nasrallah moved to Iraq to attend a Shiite seminary.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 28 Sep. 2024
One of Milan’s newest hotels, it’s also found in one of the oldest seminaries in Europe.
—Maria Geyman, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for seminary
Dictionary Entries Near seminary
Cite this Entry
“Seminary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seminary. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
seminary
noun
sem·i·nary
ˈsem-ə-ˌner-ē
plural seminaries
1
: a private school at or above the high school level
2
: a school for the training of priests, ministers, or rabbis
Etymology
Middle English seminary "seedbed, nursery, from Latin seminarium (same meaning), from semen "seed"
Word Origin
The English word seminary and its Latin source seminarium, a derivative of semen, "seed," both originally denoted a nursery for young plants. Roman authors sometimes used the Latin word figuratively, but English has gone much further in extending the meaning of the word, while the old sense "nursery for plants" is now obsolete. The use of seminary in reference to training schools for Roman Catholic clergy dates from the 16th century. Today the word refers equally to Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish colleges for training priests, ministers, or rabbis. Seminary has also been applied to other kinds of schools. When they were first formed in the 19th century, colleges for women were called "female seminaries" or "seminaries for young ladies."
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