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seminary

What do ministers, priests, rabbis, and children have in common? They all might attend a school that has the word seminary in its name. A seminary is a school, especially one where people train to be religious leaders.

Seminary comes from the Latin word seminarium, meaning "plant nursery," which can be interpreted as, "breeding ground." Like a greenhouse that provides ideal conditions for seeds to grow into hearty plants, a seminary was first a place for young men to become priests. Seminary typically describes religious institutions but it can apply to nonreligious schools as well.

DEFINITIONS OF: seminary

1

n a theological school for training ministers or priests or rabbis

Type of:
religious school
a school run by a religious body

n a private place of education for the young

Type of:
private school
a school established and controlled privately and supported by endowment and tuition
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