Definition of "semi-" [sem•i-]

• Half: semicircle. (prefix)
• Partial; partially: semiconscious. (prefix)
• Resembling or having some of the characteristics of: semiofficial. (prefix)
• Occurring twice during: semimonthly. See Usage Note at bi-1. (prefix)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He beamed, thrown a bone by my use of the semi-"technical" term, "sequeing" . . . though, truth be told—"Glad to see you're coming along.""
• "On the other hand, the semi- conductor industry is relatively insensitive to shipping costs."
• "That sour history leaves Islamism as the last big idea standing—and standing at a moment when tens of millions of young Muslims find themselves undereducated, semi- or unemployed, and uniquely receptive to a world view with deep historic roots and heroic ambitions."