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

To be eligible at the Milwaukee campus, students had to earn a semester GPA of 3.6 or higher. —Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2025

Interns must be a high school graduate, completed their first year of college or more by the end of the 2025 spring semester, and be currently enrolled in college or recently graduated. —Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025

Student housing availability has long been an issue at the university, where enrollment has increased by almost 29% since the fall 2014 semester. —Kate Marijolovic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2025

The spring semester was starting, and players and coaches needed to decide who was staying or going quickly. —Audrey Snyder, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 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

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