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

• IPA: /ˈsɛmɪnəl/

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.

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

• French: séminal
• German: Saat, Samen, spermatisch
• Italian: seminale
• Portuguese: seminal
• Russian: семенно́й
• Spanish: seminal

• French: créatif, reproductif, fondateur, fécond
• German: fruchtbar, produktiv
• Portuguese: seminal
• Russian: плодови́тый
• Spanish: germinal

• French: influent, important, essentiel
• German: grundlegend, bahnbrechend, zukunftsträchtig, ur-, wegweisend
• Italian: seminale
• Portuguese: seminal
• Russian: основополага́ющий
• Spanish: influyente

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