different between foremost vs seminal

English

Etymology

From Old English formest, fyrmest (“earliest, first, most prominent”), from Proto-Germanic *frumistaz, from the locative stem *fur-, *fr- + the superlative suffix *-umistaz, stem ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pr-. The suffix *-umistaz was a compound suffix, created from the rarer comparative suffix *-umô (as in Old English fruma) + the regular superlative suffix *-istaz (English -est); *-umô in turn is from Proto-Indo-European *-mHo-.

Cognate with Old Frisian formest, Gothic ???????????????????????????????? (frumists). See for, first and Old English fruma for more. Partially cognate to primus, from Proto-Indo-European *pr- + Latin superlative suffix -imus, from Proto-Indo-European *-mHo-.

A comparative former was back-formed analogically, leaving the m from *-umô in place. Later the Old English suffix complex -(u)m-est was conflated with the word most through folk etymology, so that the word is now interpreted as fore +? -most.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?f??.m??st/
• Rhymes: -??st

Adjective

foremost (not comparable)

1. first, either in time or in space
2. Most forward; front
3. of a higher rank or position; paramount
4. (nautical) closest to the bow

Translations

Adverb

foremost (not comparable)

1. in front
2. prominently forward
3. especially; particularly
   • 2001, Chantel Laran Sawyer Lumpkin, The Influences of Assets on the Academic Achievement of African American College Students, p. 155:

     As dependent minors the foremost proximal system was family, followed by school and community.

   • 2013, Robert Woods, Evangelical Christians and Popular Culture: Pop Goes the Gospel, p. XXIX:

     Lewis is the twentieth century's foremost popular writer and the most influential public intellectual for evangelicals.

   • 2019, Louise Taylor, Alex Morgan heads USA past England into Women’s World Cup final (in The Guardian, 2 July 2019)[1]

     England head to Nice for Saturday’s third-place playoff after yet more semi-final disappointment but with heads held high having played their part in a wonderful game featuring some particularly harsh luck. Foremost among it was the marginal offside which saw an Ellen White goal disallowed and, later, a penalty miss by Steph Houghton.

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle English seminal, semynal, from Old French seminal, seminale, from Latin s?min?lis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?s?m?n?l/
• Rhymes: -?m?n?l

Adjective

seminal (comparative more seminal, superlative most seminal)

1. Of or relating to seed or semen.
2. Creative or having the power to originate.
3. Highly influential, especially in some original way, and providing a basis for future development or research.

   Synonyms: influential, pioneering

   • 1827, Julius Hare and Augustus William Hare, Guesses at Truth

     The idea of God is, beyond all question or comparison, the one great seminal principle.

Synonyms

• (relating to seed): germinal
• (creative): innovative, primary
• (highly influential): influential, innovative, formative

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

seminal (plural seminals)

1. (obsolete) A seed.

Anagrams

• Elamins, Malines, Melians, isleman, menials, salmine

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin s?min?lis.

Adjective

seminal (masculine and feminine plural seminals)

1. seminal

Derived terms

• vesícula seminal

Further reading

• “seminal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “seminal” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “seminal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “seminal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin s?min?lis.

Adjective

seminal m or f (plural seminais, comparable)

1. (botany) seminal (relating to seeds)
2. (anatomy) seminal (relating to semen)
3. seminal; creative; inventive

   Synonyms: criativo, inventivo, fértil

4. seminal (highly influential)

Related terms

• sêmen
• semente

Further reading

• “seminal” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian

Etymology

From French séminal, from Latin seminalis.

Adjective

seminal m or n (feminine singular seminal?, masculine plural seminali, feminine and neuter plural seminale)

1. seminal

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin s?min?lis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /semi?nal/, [se.mi?nal]
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

seminal (plural seminales)

1. (botany) seminal (relating to seeds)
2. (anatomy) seminal (relating to semen)
3. seminal; creative; inventive
4. seminal (highly influential)

Derived terms

Related terms

• semen
• semilla

Further reading

• “seminal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.