English vocabulary · C1
Seminal
/ˈsɛmɪnəl/ · adj.
Seminal is used for an idea or work that starts big changes. People look back and see how much later work came from it.
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Example sentences
- That book was seminal for art.
- Her seminal book changed teaching.
Word origin and roots
from Latin
- semin — seed (from Latin)
Synonyms and nuances
- KEY — very important (Central)
- MAJOR — very important (Big Effect)
- INFLUENTIAL — affecting others (Changes Later Work)
Words with the same root
semin — seed
- seminar — a learning meeting
- disseminate — spread widely
- inseminate — put seed into
Lesson notes
Seminal is used for an idea or work that starts big changes. People look back and see how much later work came from it.
Related: key, major, influential. Use seminal when later work grows from it.
That book was seminal for art. Her seminal book changed teaching.
From Latin. semin- means seed. A seed starts later work; a seminal idea starts big change.