semi

¹

[sem-ee, sem-ahy]

noun

Informal.

1. semitrailer.

2. Often semifinal.

semi-

²

1. a combining form borrowed from Latin, meaning “half,” freely prefixed to English words of any origin, now sometimes with the senses “partially,” “incompletely,” “somewhat”.

   semiautomatic; semidetached; semimonthly; semisophisticated.

semi

¹

/ ˈsɛmɪ /

noun

1. a semidetached house

2. short for semifinal

3. short for semitrailer

semi-

²

prefix

1. half Compare demi- hemi-

   semicircle

2. partially, partly, not completely, or almost

   semiprofessional

   semifinal

3. occurring twice in a specified period of time

   semiannual

   semiweekly

semi–

1. A prefix that means “half,” (as in semicircle, half a circle) or “partly, somewhat, less than fully,” (as in semiconscious, partly conscious).

Confusables Note

See bi- ¹.

Word History and Origins

Origin of semi¹

By shortening

Origin of semi²

Middle English < Latin sēmi-; cognate with Old English sōm-, sām- half (modern dial. sam- ), Old High German sāmi-, Sanskrit sāmi-, Greek hēmi-; sesqui-

Word History and Origins

Origin of semi¹

from Latin; compare Old English sōm-, sām- half, Greek hēmi-

Example Sentences

"Up until the semi finals, it seemed like nothing would be able to stop Grok 4 on its way to winning the event," Pedro Pinhata, a writer for Chess.com, said in its coverage.

From BBC

Mboko hurt her hand in the semi against Rybakina in a heavy fall in Montreal, but says she doesn't feel it ahead of the final.

From BBC

It came after they also required penalties to beat Sweden in the quarter-finals, then won late in extra time against Italy in the semis.

From BBC

"Getting to semis and the final for the first time, beating Germany for the first time. We have been accomplishing objectives and that's the reason we're here."

From BBC

Had the Netherlands beaten France, then England would have had to play world number three side Germany in the last eight and Spain, ranked second, in the semis.

From BBC

When To Use

What does semi- mean?

Semi- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “half.” In some instances, it is used figuratively to mean "partially," "incompletely," or "somewhat." It is often used in a variety of technical and everyday terms.Semi- comes from Latin sēmi-, meaning “half.” The Greek cognate of sēmi- is hēmi-, also meaning “half,” which is the source of English terms such as hemialgia and hemicardia. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.