A seminary or theological college is a specialize and often live-in higher education institution for the purpose of instructing students (seminarians) in philosophy, theology, spirituality and the religious life, usually in order to prepare them to become members of the clergy. The English word is taken from the Latin seminarium, translated as seed-bed. In the Occident, the term historically refers to Christian educational institutes for clergy (mostly Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, as many Protestant denominations preferred another term for their theological colleges).