Seminole

American  

[sem-uh-nohl] / ˈsɛm əˌnoʊl /

noun

plural

Seminoles,

plural

Seminole

1. a member of any of several groupings of North American Indians comprising emigrants from the Creek Confederacy territories to Florida or their descendants in Florida and Oklahoma, especially the culturally conservative present-day Florida Indians.

2. either of the Muskogean languages spoken by the Seminoles, comprising Mikasuki and the Florida or Seminole dialect of Creek.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Seminoles or their languages.

Seminole British  

/ ˈsɛmɪˌnəʊl /

noun

1. a member of a North American Indian people consisting of Creeks who moved into Florida in the 18th century

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Muskhogean family

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Etymology

Origin of Seminole

First recorded in 1760–70; earlier Seminolie, from Creek simanó·li “wild, runaway,” alteration of earlier and dialectal simaló·ni, from Colonial Spanish cimarrón; maroon ²

Example Sentences

Though its global empire began with a London cafe in 1971, Hard Rock International has been owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida since 2007.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

“The Orchid Thief” took on a typically left-field Orlean subject: the trial of a Florida horticulturalist accused of stealing endangered species from a swamp in the Seminole Indian reserve.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Locals guess the population of Seminole, the main city in Gaines County, is far larger than the U.S.

From Salon • Aug. 26, 2025

You recently appeared in “Reservation Dogs,” co-created by a Seminole Nation citizen, Sterlin Harjo, and you serve as an executive producer on “Dark Winds.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2025

Also during the war, future president Andrew Jackson leads an attack on Seminole Indians in western Florida.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis