seminal

English

Etymology

From Latin sēminālis.

Adjective

seminal (comparative more seminal, superlative most seminal)

1. Of or relating to seed or semen.
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.
   • Hare

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

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

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

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

Synonyms

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

Derived terms

• seminality
• seminally

Translations

of or relating to seed or semen

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: simpl. 种子的, simpl. 精液的

• Dutch: zaad- (nl)
• Finnish: siemen- (fi)
• Italian: seminale (it)

• Lithuanian: sėklinis (lt)
• Russian: семенной (ru) (semennój) 
• Scottish Gaelic: sìolach (gd)
• Slovene: seménski (sl), seminálen (sl)
• Spanish: seminal (es)

creative or having the power to originate

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 创造性的 (cmn)

• Dutch: creatief (nl)
• French: créatif (fr) reproductif (fr)

• German: fruchtbar (de), produktiv (de)
• Russian: плодовитый (ru) (plodovítyj) 
• Spanish: germinal (es)

highly influential

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: simpl. 影响深远的

• Dutch: invloedrijk (nl), belangrijk (nl)
• Finnish: uraauurtava (fi), mullistava (fi)
• French: influent (fr), important (fr)

• German: einflussreich (de), grundlegend (de), bahnbrechend (de)
• Italian: seminale (it)
• Russian: основополагающий (ru) (osnovopolagájuščij) 
• Serbo-Croatian: утицајан (sh) (uticajan) m
• Spanish: influencial

Noun

seminal (plural seminals)

1. (obsolete) A seed.
   • Sir Thomas Browne

     the seminals of spiders and scorpions

Anagrams

• menials