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 college announced in a news release Wednesday 9,017 students were enrolled for academic credit as of Tuesday, the 11th day of classes for the fall semester. —Edward McKinnon, Arkansas Online, 4 Sep. 2025

Metro Nashville Public Schools is planning to begin next semester, according to spokesperson Sean Braisted. —Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Sep. 2025

However, officials said this is primarily driven by high schoolers taking dual credit courses during the spring semester. —Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 3 Sep. 2025

By the end of the fall 2022 semester, Kohberger’s status at the university was in jeopardy, according to police records. —Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 3 Sep. 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