Meanings
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1
noun
an institution that trains candidates for the priesthood, ministry, or rabbinate
After university, he entered a seminary to train for the priesthood.
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2
noun
historical: a private school or academy, especially one for girls or young women
The sisters were educated at a private seminary for young ladies.
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3
noun
archaic or figurative: a place or environment in which a quality, practice, or idea originates and spreads
Critics called the corrupt court a seminary of intrigue.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English seminary, 'seedbed or nursery,' from Latin seminarium, from semen, 'seed.' The plant nursery image was extended to places that cultivate people, beliefs, or practices. After the sixteenth century it became especially associated with schools training clergy; seminar belongs to the same word family.