(in some universities) either of two divisions of the academic year, ranging from 15 to 18 weeks (in German universities) a session of six months
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
se•mes•ter /sɪˈmɛstɚ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Educationan academic session that is half of the academic year, lasting typically from 15 to 18 weeks.
- Education(in German universities) a session, lasting about six months.
se•mes•ter
(si mes′tər),USA pronunciation n.
se•mes′tral, se•mes•tri•al
(si mes′trē əl),USA pronunciation adj.
- Education(in many educational institutions) a division constituting half of the regular academic year, lasting typically from 15 to 18 weeks.
- Education(in German universities) a session, lasting about six months and including periods of recess.
- *sex-mēnstris, equivalent. to sex six + mēns(is) month + -tris adjective, adjectival suffix (perh. representing an earlier *mens(i)-teros)
- Latin sēmē(n)stris of six months duration
- German
- 1820–30;
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'semester' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
A, a
- B, b
- average
- cut
- dean's list
- gangbuster
- honor roll
- hour
- incomplete
- menstrual
- one
- point
- semester hour
- spread
- term paper
- timetable
- trimester
- visiting professor