1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Seminary

SEMINARY (Lat. seminarium, from semen, seed), a term originally applied to a nursery-garden or place where seeds are sown to produce plants for transplanting. It was early used in its present sense of a place of education. Its most frequent use is for a training college for the Roman Catholic priesthood, and in a transferred sense for a priest who has been trained in a foreign seminary, also often termed a “seminarist.” A German usage, adopted in America, applies the term seminar to a class for advanced study or research.