semester

se·mes·ter
S1E1M3E1S1T1E1R1
UK/sɪˈmɛstə/US/sɪˈmɛstɚ/

noun

Half of a school year (US) or academic year such as autumn or spring semester.

“I will graduate at the end of the spring semester.”

OriginGerman Semester ← New Latin sēmestris →
CommonScrabble 10
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Meanings

nounsemester (plural semesters)

plural semesters · alternative obsolete semestre

  1. Half of a school year (US) or academic year such as autumn or spring semester.

    I will graduate at the end of the spring semester.

  2. A period or term of six months.

Origin

  1. New Latinsēmestris“lasting six months”
  2. GermanSemester
  3. Englishsemester

From German Semester, from New Latin sēmestris (“lasting six months”), from sex (“six”) + mēnsis (“month”).

More words from German, New Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic فَصْل دِرَاسِيّ, نِصْف سَنَة
  • فَصْل دِرَاسِيّ (faṣl dirāsiyy)half of school year
  • نِصْف سَنَة (niṣf sana)half of school year
  • فَصْل أَكَادِيمِيّ (faṣl ʔakādīmiyy)half of school year
Bulgarian семестър, полугодие
  • семестър (semestăr)half of school year
  • полугодие (polugodie)period or term of six months
Catalan semestre
  • semestrehalf of school year
Chinese Mandarin 學期 /学期
  • 學期 /学期 (xuéqī)half of school year
Czech semestr, pololetí
  • semestrhalf of school year
  • pololetíhalf of school year
  • půlrokhalf of school year
Danish semester
  • semesterhalf of school year
Dutch semester
  • semesterhalf of school year
Esperanto semestro
  • semestrohalf of school year
Finnish lukukausi
  • lukukausihalf of school year
French semestre, trimestre
  • semestrehalf of school year
  • trimestrehalf of school year
German Semester, Halbjahr
  • Semesterhalf of school year
  • Halbjahrhalf of school year
Greek εξάμηνο
  • εξάμηνο (exámino)half of school year
Hungarian félév, szemeszter
  • félévhalf of school year
  • szemeszterhalf of school year
Icelandic misseri, misseri
  • misserihalf of school year
  • misseriperiod or term of six months
Indonesian semester, semester
  • semesterhalf of school year
  • semesterperiod or term of six months
Italian semestre
  • semestrehalf of school year
Japanese 学期
  • 学期 (gakki)half of school year
Korean 학기, 반기
  • 학기 (hakgi)half of school year
  • 반기 (ban'gi)half of school year
Lithuanian semestras
  • semestrashalf of school year
Norwegian Bokmål semester, termin
  • semesterhalf of school year
  • terminhalf of school year
Persian نیمسال تحصیلی, ترم
  • نیمسال تحصیلی (nimsâl-e tahsili)half of school year
  • ترم (term)half of school year
Polish semestr, półrocze
  • semestrhalf of school year
  • półroczehalf of school year
Portuguese semestre
  • semestrehalf of school year
Romanian semestru
  • semestruhalf of school year
Russian семе́стр, полуго́дие
  • семе́стр (seméstr)half of school year
  • полуго́дие (polugódije)half of school year
Spanish semestre, ciclo
  • semestrehalf of school year
  • ciclohalf of school year
Swedish termin
  • terminhalf of school year
Tagalog semestre, hatintaon
  • semestrehalf of school year
  • hatintaonhalf of school year
Turkish sömestir, yarıyıl
  • sömestirhalf of school year
  • yarıyılhalf of school year
Ukrainian семе́стр, піврі́ччя
  • семе́стр (seméstr)half of school year
  • піврі́ччя (pivríččja)half of school year
Vietnamese học kỳ, sáu tháng
  • học kỳhalf of school year
  • sáu thánghalf of school year
Yiddish סעמעסטער, זמן
  • סעמעסטער (semester)half of school year
  • זמן (zman)half of school year

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with semester

investorChesterLeicesterEsthertesterLesterestersylvestertrimesterHesterjesterCirencesterwesterfestermolesterbesterpesterdivestersequesterarresterquestergestorDistrict of Chesterrhymester
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

semester. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semester

MLA

“semester.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semester. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “semester,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semester.

Source: semester on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.