Where does “seminal” come from?

Seminal derives from Middle English seminal, from Old French seminal, from Latin seminalis, formed with the Latin suffix -alis from Latin semen meaning seed, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European seh₁- meaning to sow or plant.

seminal (English): Of or relating to seed or semen; Creative or...

Definitions

  1. Of or relating to seed or semen; Creative or...

Ancestry of “seminal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishseminal—
2Old Frenchseminal—
3Latinseminalisseed; seminal
4Latinsēmenseed (of plants)
5Proto-Indo-Europeanséh₁mn̥seed
6Proto-Indo-Europeanseh₁-to impress, insert; to sow, to plant; long,...

Words derived from “seminal”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European seh₁- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European séh₁mn̥ →Every word from Latin sēmen →