seminar

Where does the word "seminar" come from? It comes from Latin seminarium, passing through German before entering English (1880s).

Seminar’s story begins in Latin: seminarium meant “a seed plot, nursery.” Literally a seed plot or nursery, a place where ideas are cultivated. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in German as seminar. German universities of the 1700s–1800s pioneered the research seminar, copied by Johns Hopkins in the 1870s. It reached English by 1880s as seminar. Settled as the English word for a focused group class or discussion. Today, seminar means a small class or meeting focused on discussion of a particular topic.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient seminarium "a seed plot, nursery", literally a seed plot or nursery, a place where ideas are cultivated.
2. Stage 2 · German · 1700s seminar "a small academic discussion class", German universities of the 1700s–1800s pioneered the research seminar, copied by Johns Hopkins in the 1870s.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1880s seminar "a small class or meeting for focused discussion", settled as the English word for a focused group class or discussion.