What does semester mean?
Definitions for semester
sɪˈmɛs tərse·mes·ter
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word semester.
Princeton's WordNet
semesternoun
one of two divisions of an academic year
semesternoun
half a year; a period of 6 months
Wiktionary
semesternoun
Half of a school year or academic year such as fall or spring semester.
I will graduate at the end of the spring semester.
Etymology: from German Semester, from Modern Latin semestris (from sex six + mensis month).
Wikipedia
semester
An academic term (or simply term) is a portion of an academic year, the time during which an educational institution holds classes. The schedules adopted vary widely. In most countries, the academic year begins in late summer or early autumn and ends during the following spring or summer. In Northern Hemisphere countries, this means that the academic year lasts from August, September, or October to May, June, or July. In Southern Hemisphere countries, the academic year aligns with the calendar year, lasting from February or March to November or December. The summer may or may not be part of the term system.
ChatGPT
semester
A semester is a specific period of time in a school or university's academic year, usually divided into two semesters of approximately 15 to 18 weeks each. Some institutions may also utilize a three semester system, including a summer semester. During this time, students are enrolled in and attend classes, complete assignments, and take exams.
Webster Dictionary
Semesternoun
a period of six months; especially, a term in a college or uneversity which divides the year into two terms
Etymology: [G., from L. semestris half-yearly; sex six + mensis a month.]
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Semester
sē-mes′tėr, n. one of the half-year courses in German universities.—adj. Semes′tral. [L. semestris—sex, six, mensis, a month.]
Matched Categories
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
- [["1766","1"],["1809","2"],["1829","2"],["1830","2"],["1831","18"],["1833","1"],["1834","8"],["1836","1"],["1837","7"],["1838","24"],["1839","13"],["1840","3"],["1841","37"],["1842","28"],["1843","18"],["1844","15"],["1845","10"],["1846","2"],["1848","1"],["1849","10"],["1850","9"],["1851","17"],["1852","1"],["1853","4"],["1854","2"],["1855","1"],["1856","42"],["1857","5"],["1858","2"],["1859","11"],["1860","5"],["1861","30"],["1862","3"],["1863","1"],["1864","19"],["1865","10"],["1866","10"],["1867","12"],["1868","36"],["1869","73"],["1870","15"],["1871","10"],["1872","86"],["1873","102"],["1874","364"],["1875","19"],["1876","22"],["1877","9"],["1878","179"],["1879","125"],["1880","37"],["1881","71"],["1882","59"],["1883","199"],["1884","139"],["1885","359"],["1886","46"],["1887","468"],["1888","107"],["1889","189"],["1890","486"],["1891","165"],["1892","150"],["1893","269"],["1894","239"],["1895","205"],["1896","289"],["1897","179"],["1898","449"],["1899","338"],["1900","805"],["1901","551"],["1902","1125"],["1903","1006"],["1904","603"],["1905","582"],["1906","734"],["1907","720"],["1908","1772"],["1909","2008"],["1910","1416"],["1911","3326"],["1912","2199"],["1913","2532"],["1914","3720"],["1915","3251"],["1916","4905"],["1917","4297"],["1918","3013"],["1919","3457"],["1920","3786"],["1921","3481"],["1922","4251"],["1923","3890"],["1924","5214"],["1925","4543"],["1926","5898"],["1927","8003"],["1928","8329"],["1929","9167"],["1930","8455"],["1931","12929"],["1932","7084"],["1933","7464"],["1934","5948"],["1935","6469"],["1936","7076"],["1937","7924"],["1938","7331"],["1939","7998"],["1940","7322"],["1941","6087"],["1942","5859"],["1943","4170"],["1944","4383"],["1945","4258"],["1946","5044"],["1947","5306"],["1948","7194"],["1949","9126"],["1950","7697"],["1951","5982"],["1952","6498"],["1953","8110"],["1954","6974"],["1955","6836"],["1956","6743"],["1957","7458"],["1958","10063"],["1959","8087"],["1960","8428"],["1961","10117"],["1962","10273"],["1963","10370"],["1964","13603"],["1965","15025"],["1966","9733"],["1967","11232"],["1968","16931"],["1969","15423"],["1970","15304"],["1971","14032"],["1972","22870"],["1973","13678"],["1974","12790"],["1975","19475"],["1976","15955"],["1977","17825"],["1978","12582"],["1979","13418"],["1980","14797"],["1981","17218"],["1982","16408"],["1983","15915"],["1984","14895"],["1985","18155"],["1986","26208"],["1987","22629"],["1988","24420"],["1989","21345"],["1990","41150"],["1991","28080"],["1992","29207"],["1993","29432"],["1994","39393"],["1995","35467"],["1996","36391"],["1997","42889"],["1998","43284"],["1999","45862"],["2000","51108"],["2001","53176"],["2002","63201"],["2003","75479"],["2004","71402"],["2005","78157"],["2006","73693"],["2007","75403"],["2008","67789"]]
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of semester in Chaldean Numerology is: 4
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of semester in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5
Examples of semester in a Sentence
Ican tell you from my personalexperience as the father of twoboys... we are worriedabout lifelong negativeeffects that can continue ifthese schools remain closed, distance learning for a kid thatage is nonsense, a kid needssocial interactions, thestructure ofin-person learningand experts warn that distancelearning doesnt even meet thecurrent educational standards. CORONAVIRUS SURGE FORCES UNC CHAPEL HILL TO SWITCH TO REMOTE LEARNING ONE WEEK INTO SEMESTER.
Given this intense surge in cases, we now feel the best decision for our campus is to start classes primarily remotely on Jan. 10 and for at least the first three weeks of the semester.
There is a risk and reward with reopening the campus -- some say it's not worth California State University and remote learning is still the way to go, but there are clear benefits to being on campus, however, our semester is not going to look the same. We have a responsibility to protect the health of everyone on campus.
Education Minister Malakai Tabar:
The overwhelming majority of students simply want to go to class, sit their exams and proceed to the next semester.
We are fortunate that our university community has a very high percentage of vaccinated faculty, staff, and students, which positions us well to maintain operations through the semester.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for semester
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- فصل دراسي, نصف سنة, فصل أكاديميArabic
- semestrCzech
- semesterDanish
- Halbjahr, SemesterGerman
- semestreSpanish
- نیمسال تحصیلی, ترمPersian
- lukukausiFinnish
- semestreFrench
- szemeszter, félévHungarian
- կիսամյակArmenian
- semestreItalian
- 学期Japanese
- 學期, 반기, 학기Korean
- semesterDutch
- semestrPolish
- semestrePortuguese
- semestruRomanian
- семестр, полугодиеRussian
- polugodišteSerbo-Croatian
- terminSwedish
- தவணைTamil
- సెమిస్టర్Telugu
- ภาคเรียนThai
- sáu tháng, 學期, học kỳVietnamese
- 学期Chinese
Get even more translations for semester »
Translation
Find a translation for the semester definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"semester." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 21 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/semester>.
Discuss these semester definitions with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In