trimester
noun
ˈtrī-ˌme-
Did you know?
Semester, which comes from the Latin words for "six" and "month", has come to mean half an academic year when the year is divided into two segments. When an academic year is divided into three segments, each is called a trimester (which is usually a bit more accurate, since each segment often is close to three months in length). Some colleges operate on the "quarter" system, with the summer being the fourth quarter, but this just means that each quarter is basically a trimester. In a human pregnancy, a trimester is three months long, representing one-third of the nine months that a typical pregnancy lasts.
Examples of trimester in a Sentence
Glamour, 23 Jan. 2025
The woman is in her third trimester and is concerned her child would be denied citizenship.
—Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
The mom-to-be is in her third trimester, the lawsuit says.
—Russell Contreras, Axios, 21 Jan. 2025
On Wednesday, the zoo announced the upcoming addition to its seven dolphins as 37-year-old Allie enters her second trimester of pregnancy.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Trimester.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trimester. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
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trimester
noun
ˈtrī-ˌ
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