semi

noun, adv — 8 senses

semi

noun

UK /ˈsɛmi/ · US /ˈsɛmi/

Etymology The prefix semi- (from Latin) used as a noun.

7 senses
  1. 1A semi-detached house.
  2. 2A semi-trailer; a tractor-trailer; an eighteen-wheeler; an artic.
  3. 3A semifinal.
  4. 4A partial erection of the penis.
  5. 5A semiautomatic firearm.
  6. 6Semiconductor companies or positions in the stock market.
  7. 7An intermediate in the production of end-use goods.
1

Australia, Canada, Ireland, UK, Informal A semi-detached house.

  • 2008, Elliott Placks, quoted in Helen Isbister, Morris Bryant, Property, Career FAQs, Australia, page 40, I′m selling two side-by-side semis that are currently under construction, a waterfront apartment and a house in Rose Bay.
  • The smaller semis of the 1920s and 1930s were closely related to the three bedroom pre-1919 narrow fronted terraces, at least to the larger pre-1919 terraces.2008, Barry Goodchild, Homes, Cities and Neighbourhoods: Planning and the Residential Landscapes of Modern Britain, page 52:
1 more example
  • The roads were lined with cramped little semis and 1960s bungalows: Britain's cheapest houses, in their flimsy, pebble-dashed glory.2012, Tim Moore, You Are Awful (But I Like You): Travels Around Unloved Britain, Vintage, →ISBN, page 150:
2

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US A semi-trailer; a tractor-trailer; an eighteen-wheeler; an artic.

  • I was hungry an' freezin' an' done caught a chill / When the lights of a big semi topped the hill1967, Tommy Faile, “Phantom 309”, performed by Red Sovine:
  • All night we couldn′t hear each other speak because of the sound of semis changing gear to get over the hill.2011, Eamonn Duff, Schapelle Corby: The Untold Story Behind Her Ill-Fated Drug Run, Australia: Allen & Unwin, unnumbered page:
3

Informal A semifinal.

4

Slang A partial erection of the penis.

  • The twink got a semi just from that look.2010, Mickey Erlach, Video Boys, page 158:
5

Slang A semiautomatic firearm.

  • See these niggas through the reticle sight up on my semi […] For niggas plottin', I might blow it at your fitted Get your bitch-ass slimed out, it ain't no kiddin' Ain't no kiddin', got that semi2023 April 28, “Got Dat Muneh” (track 10, 0:48 from the start), in Summrs (lyrics), GHOST:
6

Business, Finance Slang Semiconductor companies or positions in the stock market.

7

Business, Mining Colloquial An intermediate in the production of end-use goods.

  • Mining companies crush and grind the extracted ore, and then use flotation processes to produce copper concentrates, which typically contain up to 30 percent copper. These concentrates are then smelted to produce copper blister, which has a purity of up to 99 percent. The blister is further refined to produce copper cathode, or pure copper, with a grade of around 99.99 percent. This process is known as pyrometallurgy, and is suitable for sulfide ores as opposed to oxide ores. The pure copper then feeds into the fabrication of various copper products, such as wire rods, wires, bars, and sheets—collectively known as semis—used as inputs in the manufacturing of end-use products, including consumer goods and construction, transportation (e.g., EVs) and infrastructure components.2025 April 1, Dorjdari Namkhaijantsan, Zoljargal Naranbaatar, “Copper and the energy transition”, in Copper Sector Expansion in Mongolia: Opportunities and Challenges, Natural Resource Governance Institute, page 13 of 10–26:

semi

adv

Etymology The prefix semi- (from Latin) used as a noun.

1

Informal Somewhat; to some extent.

  • 'Is that a serious question?' he asked. Ralph shrugged with his face, jutting out his bottom lip. 'Well ... semi,' he said.2013, Mark Morris, The Secret of Anatomy:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.