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semi
1[ sem-ee, sem-ahy ]
semi-
2- 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/ ˈɛɪ /
noun
- a semidetached house
- short for semifinal
- short for semitrailer
–
- A prefix that means “half,” (as in semicircle, half a circle) or “partly, somewhat, less than fully,” (as in semiconscious, partly conscious).
Confusables Note
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of semi1
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of semi1
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Related 51Թs
51Թs That Use semi-
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 ŧ-, meaning “half.” The Greek cognate of ŧ– is ŧ-, 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.
Examples of semi-
An example of a word you may have encountered that features semi– is semicolon, “the punctuation mark (;).”
We know semi– means “half,” and a colon is the sign (:). The word colon itself comes from Greek ôDz, meaning “limb; part of a clause or period.” Semicolon literally translates to “half colon.”
What are some words that use the combining form semi-?
What are some other forms that semi– may be commonly confused with?
Break it down!
The word literate means “able to read and write.” With this in mind, what does semiliterate mean?
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