Word of the Day 9.10.08

sem·i·nal (sm-nl)

adj.

1. Of, relating to, containing, or conveying semen or seed.

2. Of, relating to, or having the power to originate; creative.

3. Highly influential in an original way; constituting or providing a basis for further development: a seminal idea in the creation of a new theory.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sminlis, from smen, smin-, seed; see semen.]

semi·nal·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

seminal

Adjective

1. highly original and influential: seminal thinkers

2. potentially capable of development

3. of semen: seminal fluid

4. Biol of seed [Latin semen seed]

Collins Essential English Dictionary 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2004, 2006

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Posted on September 10, 2008 by admin

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