Semester
/səˈmɛs.tɚ/noun
One of two usually equal periods of 15-18 weeks constituting an academic year.
Did you know?'Semester' derives from roots shared with 'moon' and 'month,' from PIE *me- 'to measure,' linking modern academics to prehistoric lunar calendars that governed rituals and fates.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sḗmi-
“half”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*méh₁ns
“month”
c. 700 BCE
Latin
mensis
“month”
c. 200 BCE
Latin
sēmis
“half, by halves”
1st century BCE
Latin
sēmestris
“lasting six months, half-yearly”
16th century
German
Semester
“six-month university term”
1827
English
semester
“half of an academic year”