semester

noun

se·​mes·​ter sə-ˈme-stər 

1

: either of the two usually 18-week periods of instruction into which an academic year is often divided

2

: a period of six months

semestral

sə-ˈme-strəl 

adjective

or semestrial

sə-ˈme-strē-əl 

Examples of semester in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The only significant change, Assistant Superintendent of Middle Schools Brad Hillman said at Monday’s meeting, is for parent-teacher conferences during the fall semester. —Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025

This is the first semester the district is offering doula certification and the first such program for high school students in the state. —Edward McKinnon, arkansasonline.com, 12 Mar. 2025

By the numbers: There were major improvements between the 2023-24 and the 2024-25 first semesters, Randazzo says. —Linh Ta, Axios, 11 Mar. 2025

At the time the undergraduate population was closer to 6,200 students compared to the 11,000 undergraduates enrolled in the Fall 2024 semester. —Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

German, from Latin semestris half-yearly, from sex six + mensis month — more at six, moon

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing semester

• semester hour

Rhymes for semester

• ancestor
• arrester
• digester
• investor
• protester
• requester
• sequester
• silvester
• trimester
• ester
• esther
• fester

Kids Definition

semester

noun

se·​mes·​ter sə-ˈmes-tər 

: either of two terms of about 18 weeks each that make up a school year