trimester

American  

[trahy-mes-ter, trahy-mes-] / traɪˈmɛs tər, ˈtraɪ mɛs- /

noun

1. a term or period of three months.

2. one of the three approximately equal terms into which the year is divided by some colleges, schools, etc.

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trimester British  

/ traɪˈmɛstə /

noun

1. a period of three months

2. (in some US and Canadian universities or schools) any of the three academic sessions

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Other Word Forms

• trimestral adjective
• trimestrial adjective

Etymology

Origin of trimester

1815–25; < French trimestre < Latin trimē ( n ) stris of three months, equivalent to tri- tri- + -mē ( n ) stris ( semester )

Example Sentences

Late in her third trimester, doctors diagnosed her with placenta accreta, a potentially life-threatening condition in which the placenta grows too far into the wall of the uterus.

From The Wall Street Journal

They note that because the hepatitis B test is typically done in the first trimester, women can still become infected later in pregnancy or some might not get tested at all.

From The Wall Street Journal

That last night in 2014, I was also nearing the end of the first trimester of my first pregnancy.

From Salon

Maternal vaccination during the third trimester of pregnancy and passive immunization of newborns using long-acting antibodies are being rolled out in many countries.

From Science Daily

The authors also documented a dose-response pattern, meaning the risk rose as the number of affected trimesters increased.

From Science Daily