definitions

semi-

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR semi- ON THESAURUS.COM

a combining form borrowed from Latin, meaning “half,” freely prefixed to English words of any origin, now sometimes with the senses “partially,” “incompletely,” “somewhat”: semiautomatic; semidetached; semimonthly; semisophisticated.

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RELATED WORDS

apparent, apparently, fake, mock, near, nominal, partly, pretended, seeming, sham, so-called, supposedly, synthetic, virtual, would-be, seemingly, pseudo-

Nearby words

semeru, semester, semester hour, semey, semi, semi-, semi-abstract, semi-bantu, semi-closed anesthesia, semi-independent, semi-open anesthesia

Origin of semi-

Middle English < Latin sēmi-; cognate with Old English sōm-, sām- half (modern dial. sam-), Old High German sāmi-, Sanskrit sāmi-, Greek hēmi-; cf. sesqui-

Usage note

See bi-1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for semi-

semi-

prefix

halfsemicircle Compare demi- (def. 1), hemi-
partially, partly, not completely, or almostsemiprofessional; semifinal
occurring twice in a specified period of timesemiannual; semiweekly

Word Origin for semi-

from Latin; compare Old English sōm-, sām- half, Greek hēmi-
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

Medicine definitions for semi-

semi-

pref.

Half:semicanal.
Partial; partially:semiconscious.
Resembling or having some of the characteristics of:semilunar.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for semi-

semi-

A prefix that means “half,” (as in semicircle, half a circle) or “partly, somewhat, less than fully,” (as in semiconscious, partly conscious).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.