Where does “seminal” come from?
seminal (Middle English) comes from Old French seminal, from Latin seminalis, from Latin sēmen, from Proto-Indo-European séh₁mn̥, from Proto-Indo-European seh₁- — to impress, insert; to sow, to plant; long,...
Ancestry of “seminal”, step by step
seminal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French seminal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | seminal | — |
| 2 | Latin | seminalis | seed; seminal |
| 3 | Latin | sēmen | seed (of plants) |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | séh₁mn̥ | seed |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | seh₁- | to impress, insert; to sow, to plant; long,... |
via Old French seminale
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | seminale | — |