Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

semi-

/sɛmi/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.51 in modern English

Syllables
semi-
IPA
/sɛmi/
6
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

half

prefix

partial, incomplete

prefix

somewhat, rather, quasi-

Example Sentences

Etymology

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

Origin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

sem- (alternative)

Derived Forms

semiflat

Synonyms

half- hemi- demi- quasi- -ish

Questions

How do you pronounce semi-?
The recorded pronunciation is /sɛmi/.
What does semi- mean?
half
Where does semi- come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce semi-

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “semi-”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/sɛmi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “semi-”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “semi-” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.