rhizoverbBeta
DictionarysemesterAcademic term
noun

semester

sih-MES-ter/sɪˈmestər/

One of two main academic terms in a school year.

The selected band marks one semester of the academic year.

An open academic-year wall calendar organizes the school year into two matching five-month term bands.
Etymology
seLatinsix
+mesterLatinmonth

The components mean “six months,” originally describing a half-year course. That half-year division connects the word to one of the two main terms in an academic year.

In context

Y Combinator24:07
we told Harvard that we were taking one semester off and and then we told Harvard that we were taking another semester off and then a year off
Mark Zuckerberg : How to Build the Future

More examples

  • The fall semester begins in late August.
  • Final exams mark the end of each semester.
  • This course runs for two semesters.

Forms

semester · semesters

Similar words

term
A broader word for any scheduled academic teaching period.
session
A period of instruction, often shorter than a semester.