semi-

semi-

See also: semi, ṣemi, and -semi

English

Alternative forms

• sem-

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin semi- (“half”), from Proto-Indo-European *sēmi/*sēmi-. Cognate to English sam, and to hemi- (via Ancient Greek).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛmi/, /sɛmaɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Prefix

semi-

1. half
2. partial, incomplete
3. somewhat, rather, quasi-
   • 1994, Eric Bogosian, Pounding nails in the floor with my forehead:

     Nothing like a nice hot ethnic dish before you go to see that semi-expensive, semi-meaningful Off-Broadway show.

Usage notes

• In British English, the semi- forms as usually hyphenated as evidenced by OED's semi- entries predominantly using hyphen.

Synonyms

• (half): half-, hemi-, demi-
• (partial): demi-
• (somewhat): quasi-, -ish

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with semi-

• semiflat

Translations

half (prefix)

Arabic: شِبْه‎ (ar) (šibh) (not an attached prefix) Catalan: semi- (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 半- (zh) (bàn-) Czech: semi- Finnish: puoli-, semi- (fi) French: semi- (fr), demi- (fr), à moitié Galician: semi- (gl) Georgian: ნახევრად- (naxevrad-), ნახევარ- (naxevar-) German: halb (de) (compounding), semi- (de) Greek: ημι- (el) (imi-) Hebrew: חצי־‎ (khatsí-), סמי־‎ (sémi-) Hungarian: szemi-, fél-, félig- Ido: mi- Italian: semi- (it), mezzo- Japanese: 半- (ja) (はん-, han-) Latin: semi- Malay: semi- Norwegian: halv- Polish: pół- (pl) Portuguese: semi- (pt) Punjabi: ਅਧ- (adha-) Romanian: semi- (ro), demi-, emi-, hemi- Russian: полу- (ru) (polu-), семи- (semi-) Spanish: semi- (es), hemi- Swedish: halv-

Further reading

• semi- at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “semi-”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
• “semi-”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989, →ISBN.

Anagrams

• EMIs, ESMI, IMEs, MSIE, Meis, Sime, eSIM, mise

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Catalan

Etymology

From Latin sēmi-.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /ˈsə.mi/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛ.mi/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈse.mi/

Prefix

semi-

1. semi-

Derived terms

Catalan terms prefixed with semi-

Further reading

• “semi-” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “semi-”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
• “semi-” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “semi-” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsɛmɪ]

Prefix

semi-

1. semi-

   ‎semi- + ‎finále → ‎semifinále

Derived terms

Czech terms prefixed with semi-

Further reading

• semi- in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• semi- in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
• semi- in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017

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Finnish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin semi-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsemi-/, [ˈs̠e̞mi-]

Prefix

semi-

1. half-, semi-, demi-

   Synonym: puoli-

Derived terms

Finnish terms prefixed with semi-

See also

• semi

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French

Etymology

From Latin sēmi-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sə.mi/

• Audio (CAN)

  (file)

Prefix

semi-

1. semi-, demi-, half-

Derived terms

French terms prefixed with semi-

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Italian

Etymology

From Latin sēmi-, from Proto-Indo-European *sēmi (“half”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /se.mi/
• Hyphenation: se‧mi-

Prefix

semi-

1. semi-, demi-, half-

Derived terms

Italian terms prefixed with semi-

Anagrams

• mesi, mise

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Latin

Alternative forms

• sē- (in sēlībra, sēmodius)
• sēm- (before vowels, e.g. sēmis)
• sin- ( in sinciput)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *sēmi-. Cognate with Sanskrit सामि (sāmí), Ancient Greek ἡμι- (hēmi-), Old High German sami-.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /seː.mi/, [s̠eːmɪ]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /se.mi/, [semi]

Prefix

sēmi-

1. half

Derived terms

Latin terms prefixed with semi-

Descendants

• → English: semi-, semi
• → French: semi-
• → Italian: semi-
• → Portuguese: semi-
• → Spanish: semi-

References

• “semi-”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “semi-”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin sēmi-.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /se.mi/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɨ.mi/

• Hyphenation: se‧mi

Prefix

semi-

1. semi- (half)
2. semi- (partially)

Derived terms

Portuguese terms prefixed with semi-

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Spanish

Etymology

From Latin sēmi-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /semi/ [se.mi]
• Syllabification: se‧mi-

Prefix

semi-

1. semi- (half)
2. semi- (partially)

Derived terms

Spanish terms prefixed with semi-

Further reading

• “semi-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014