semester

[ si-mes-ter ]

See synonyms for: semester semestral 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.

Origin of semester

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

Other words from semester

se·mes·tral, se·mes·tri·al [si-mes-tree-uhl], /sɪˈmɛs tri əl/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use semester in a sentence

The unpredictability of the pandemic has made it difficult for many students to plan their lives around traditional 15-week semesters.
Morgan State University, Northern Virginia Community College receive grants for job training programs | Lauren Lumpkin | November 20, 2020 | Washington Post
Still more are sending students home to begin their winter break or finish their semesters remotely.
Thanksgiving advice for college students: If you’re going home, start preparing soon, experts say. | Allyson Chiu | October 29, 2020 | Washington Post
For his part, the engineer told me how, through both semesters, no one had allowed him to belong to them.
Fiction: Quiet earth philosophy | Katie McLean | October 21, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
Some campuses are planning to end the semester at Thanksgiving break or shift to online classes for the final weeks to avoid additional travel that could spread the virus.
Colleges And The Thanksgiving COVID-19 Risk: Fauci’s Right – Holiday Plans May Have To Change | LGBTQ-Editor | October 17, 2020 | No Straight News
The University of Alabama, which had more than 2,000 student Covid-19 cases three weeks into its semester, announced that it was issuing more than 600 Covid-19-related sanctions to students, including 33 suspensions.
Why some colleges win against Covid-19, and others lose | Katherine Harmon Courage | October 6, 2020 | Vox

Semestral change of the podest and certain other officers, without intervention of the Count.
Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino, Volume I (of 3) | James Dennistoun
Associated words: half-yearly, semi-annual, bi-annual, semestral.
Putnam's Word Book | Louis A. Flemming

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

Origin of semester

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

Derived forms of semester

semestral, adjective

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

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