semester

[ si-mes-ter ]

/ sɪˈmɛs tər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR semester ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(in many educational institutions) a division constituting half of the regular academic year, lasting typically from 15 to 18 weeks.

(in German universities) a session, lasting about six months and including periods of recess.

RELATED WORDS

course, quarter, session, period

Nearby words

Origin of semester

1820–30; < German < Latin sēmē(n)stris of six months duration < *sex-mēnstris, equivalent to sex six + mēns(is) month + -tris adj. suffix (perhaps representing an earlier *mens(i)-teros)

Related formsse·mes·tral, se·mes·tri·al

[si-mes-tree-uh l] /sɪˈmɛs tri əl/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for semester

I had been studying abroad in London, and came back to finish the semester at Tufts.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The trick, in any case, was repeated semester after semester.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to his suit, Carleton would rotate four new boys into his home every semester.
Headmasters Behaving Badly|Emily Shire|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During his spring semester at Duke University, senior Lewis McLeod was expelled for committing a sexual assault.
The College Bro’s Burden: Consent and Assault Cast a Shadow on Sexy Times|Amy Zimmerman|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The exposure my client would have had in criminal court doesn't compare to a second semester senior getting expelled.
Is UMass-Amherst Biased Against Male Students in Title IX Assault Cases?|Emily Shire|August 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The opening of the second semester of the college year found Instructor Brenton busy with his classes.
The Brentons|Anna Chapin Ray
"We'll leave everything as it is until the end of this semester," continued the President.
Molly Brown's Sophomore Days|Nell Speed
There's plenty of engineers, and more being graduated every semester.
Waste Not, Want|Dave Dryfoos
In Wilbur, Washington, a scheme providing for a credit report for the semester is in successful operation.
School Credit for Home Work|Lewis Raymond Alderman
The students of the present semester number fifteen hundred.
Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror|Richard Linthicum

British Dictionary definitions for semester

semester

/ (sɪˈmɛstə) /

noun

(in some universities) either of two divisions of the academic year, ranging from 15 to 18 weeks

(in German universities) a session of six months

Derived Formssemestral, adjective

Word Origin for semester

C19: via German from Latin sēmestris half-yearly, from sex six + mensis a month

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for semester

semester

1827, from German Semester "half-year course in a university," from Latin semestris, in cursus semestris "course of six months," from semestris, semenstris "of six months, lasting six months, half-yearly, semi-annual," from sex "six" (see six) + mensis "month" (see moon (n.)). Related: Semestral; semestrial.

semester

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of semester

Examples from the Web for semester

semester

noun

Word Origin for semester

semester