Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “semester” come from?

Semester derives from German Semester, from Latin semestris, from Latin mensis meaning "month," from Proto-Indo-European mḗh₁n̥s, ultimately from the root meh₁-.

semester (English): Half of a school year or academic year such as...

Definitions

  1. Half of a school year or academic year such as...

Ancestry of “semester”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSemestersemester
2LatinsemestrisAlternative form of sēmēnstris; six months; of...
3Latinmēnsis—
4Proto-Italicmēnsis—
5Proto-Italicmēns—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmḗh₁n̥smoon; month
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmeh₁-to measure

Words derived from “semester”

  • midsemester
  • semesterly
  • semestered
  • postsemester
  • semestre
  • semester
Every word from Proto-Indo-European meh₁- →