trimester

noun

tri·​mes·​ter (ˌ)trī-ˈme-stər  ˈtrī-ˌme- 

1

: a period of three or about three months

especially : any of three periods of approximately three months each into which a human pregnancy is divided

2

: one of three terms into which the academic year is sometimes divided

Did you know?

Semester, which comes from the Latin words for "six" and "month", has come to mean half an academic year when the year is divided into two segments. When an academic year is divided into three segments, each is called a trimester (which is usually a bit more accurate, since each segment often is close to three months in length). Some colleges operate on the "quarter" system, with the summer being the fourth quarter, but this just means that each quarter is basically a trimester. In a human pregnancy, a trimester is three months long, representing one-third of the nine months that a typical pregnancy lasts.

Examples of trimester in a Sentence

development in the first trimester

Recent Examples on the Web

By my third trimester, Skyh and I were producing and filming a movie that focused on Black women in maternal health. —Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 25 Sep. 2025

Ibuprofen such as Advil and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, should only be used in the second trimester, according to ACOG guidance. —Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025

For example, a 2019 study found that children exposed to a fever twice or more in the first trimester of pregnancy had more than double the odds of receiving an ADHD diagnosis, according to the report published in Scientific Reports. —Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025

Police confirmed Heidbrick was in the second trimester of pregnancy. —Megan Forrester, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French trimestre, from Latin trimestris of three months, from tri- + mensis month — more at moon

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing trimester

• fourth trimester

Rhymes for trimester

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

Medical Definition

trimester

noun

tri·​mes·​ter (ˈ)trī-ˈmes-tər  ˈtrī-ˌ 

: a period of three or about three months

especially : any of three periods of approximately three months each into which a human pregnancy is divided