# 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: /sɛmi/, /sɛmaɪ/
** Audio (UK):(file)
** Audio (US):(file)

### Prefix

semi-
* half
    semi-invalid.
* partial, incomplete
* 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 are usually hyphenated as evidenced by OED's semi- entries predominantly using hyphen.

#### Synonyms

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

#### Derived terms

* semiflat

#### Translations
### Further reading

* “semi-”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
* “semi-”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
* John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “semi-”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

### Anagrams

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

## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sēmi-.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [ˌsɛ.mi]
* IPA: (Valencia) [ˌse.mi]

### Prefix

semi-
* semi-

#### Derived terms
### 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, 2025
* “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.

## Czech
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [sɛmɪ ]

### Prefix

semi-
* semi-
    ‎semi- + ‎finále → ‎semifinále

#### Derived terms
### Further reading

* “semi-”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
* “semi-”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
* semi- in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017

## Finnish
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin semi-.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsemi-/, [ˈs̠e̞mi-]

### Prefix

semi-
* half-, semi-, demi-
    Synonym: puoli-

#### See also

* semi

### Further reading

* “semi-”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

## French
### Etymology

From Latin sēmi-.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sə.mi/
* Audio (Canada):(file)

### Prefix

semi-
* semi-, demi-, half-

#### Derived terms
## Italian
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /se.mi/
* Hyphenation: se‧mi-

### Prefix

semi-
* semi-, demi-, half-

#### Derived terms
### Anagrams

* mesi, mise

## 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 Latin) IPA: /ˈseː.mi/, [ˈs̠eːmɪ]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈse.mi/, [ˈsɛːmi]

### Prefix

sēmi-
* half

#### 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

## Portuguese
### Etymology

From Latin sēmi-.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /se.mi/
* (Portugal) IPA: /sɨ.mi/
* Hyphenation: se‧mi

### Prefix

semi-
* semi- (half)
* semi- (partially)

#### Derived terms
## Spanish
### Etymology

From Latin sēmi-.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /semi/ [se.mi]
* Syllabification: se‧mi-

### Prefix

semi-
* semi- (half)
* semi- (partially)

#### Derived terms
### Further reading

* “semi-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10