semester

noun

USsi-MES-tur/sɪˈmɛstɚ/UKsi-MES-tuh/sɪˈmɛstə/

Pluralsemesters

2 meanings of semester

Practice

1
school termnouncountable
Either of the two terms that divide the year at a college or university, or in the US at a school, such as the fall or spring semester.
Final exams for the fall semester begin in the second week of December.
Many freshmen take a writing course in their first semester.
UsageUsually named by season or order: the fall semester, my first semester. Use in with these, but just this semester, next semester.
Similarterm
2
six monthsnounrarecountable
A stretch of time lasting six months.
UsageMostly in economic and official reports, with a year: the first semester of 2019. Most readers expect a school term, so the first half of 2019 is clearer.
Similarhalf-year
Note
Six months is what the word literally says. It reached English through German Semester, from Latin sēmestris, "lasting six months", built from sex, "six", and mēnsis, "month".

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Origin

Semester came into English from German Semester. The German word goes back to New Latin sēmestris (“lasting six months”), a compound of sex (“six”) and mēnsis (“month”).