Definition

1. Noun:
   • A school for training people to become priests, ministers, or rabbis: An institution dedicated to providing education and training for religious leadership in Christianity or Judaism.
   • A private secondary school, especially for young women: (Chiefly U.S.) A private educational institution, often a boarding school, providing secondary education.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • He studied theology at a Catholic seminary for five years.
  • In the 19th century, many affluent families sent their daughters to a seminary for their education.

Advanced Usage

• "A seminary of vice": (Archaic/Literary) A place or environment that fosters immoral or corrupt behavior.
  • The novel depicted the city's slums as a seminary of vice and despair.

Variants and Related Words

• Seminarist (n): A student at a seminary, especially a theological seminary.
  • The seminarists spent their mornings in prayer and study.

Synonyms

• Theological college: An institution for training clergy.
• Academy: A place of study or training in a special field (can overlap with the secondary school meaning).
• Finishing school: (For the secondary school meaning) A private school that emphasizes social graces and academic subjects.

Different Meanings

The word has two distinct primary meanings: 1. Religious Training Institution: This is the most common and specific meaning in modern English. 2. Private Secondary School: This meaning is now somewhat dated and was historically used, particularly in the United States, to refer to private schools, often for girls.

Noun

1. a theological school for training ministers or priests or rabbis
2. a private place of education for the young