semimonthly

[ sem-ee-muhnth-lee, sem-ahy- ]

adjective

1. made, occurring, done, or published twice a month.

noun

, plural sem·i·month·lies.

1. something occurring every half month or twice a month.
2. a semimonthly publication.

adverb

1. twice a month:

   We went semimonthly to see her.

Confusables Note

See bi- ¹.

Word History and Origins

Origin of semimonthly¹

First recorded in 1855–60; semi- + monthly

Example Sentences

He’s offering the same style of tasting menu as he did before the pandemic — locally sourced, story-driven, intimate — with an added semimonthly Sunday supper.

From Eater

And would not the Camp be meeting tonight in regular semimonthly session at Kamleiter's Hall?

From Project Gutenberg

Neither offer was accepted for the reason, as was stated, that a semimonthly service was desired.

From Project Gutenberg

Let's see—I am trying to remember if I sent that semimonthly or monthly.

From Project Gutenberg

I sent her $20 semimonthly, which was $40 a month I sent her.

From Project Gutenberg

And would not the Camp be meeting to-night in regular semimonthly session at Kamleiter's Hall?

From Project Gutenberg

More About Semimonthly

What does semimonthly mean?

Semimonthly means twice a month.

It can be used this way as an adjective, as in a semimonthly meeting, or an adverb, as in We plan to meet semimonthly. 

The word bimonthly is a synonym, but it can also mean once every two months. Although semimonthly is typically only used to mean twice a month—not every two months—it can still be confusing. The best (and maybe only) way to be perfectly clear is to just say “twice a month.”

Semimonthly can also be used as a noun referring to a semimonthly event or a publication that’s published twice a month (as opposed to a weekly or daily, for example).

Example: Let’s plan to meet semimonthly, on the first and third Monday.

Where does semimonthly come from?

The first records of the word semimonthly come from the late 1850s. The suffix -ly, which usually forms adverbs, is used in semimonthly to mean “every.” It’s used in the same way in several other units of time, including hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly. The prefix semi- means “half” and is used similarly in the word semiannual, meaning “twice a year” or “lasting half of the year.” However, semimonthly is never used to mean “lasting half of the month” (though some semimonthly meetings may seem like they do).

Different prefixes can be added to monthly to indicate a different period of time, such as in bimonthly and trimonthly (every three months or three times a month). When intended to mean “twice a month,” bimonthly is sometimes replaced with semimonthly for clarity, but this might not help, especially since semimonthly is much less common.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to semimonthly?

• semimonthlies (plural noun)

What are some synonyms for semimonthly?

• twice a month
• bimonthly

What are some words that share a root or word element with semimonthly? 

 

• monthly
• month
• semiweekly
• semiannually

What are some words that often get used in discussing semimonthly?

• paid
• paycheck
• meeting
• newspaper
• publication
• schedule
• regular
• release

How is semimonthly used in real life?

Semimonthly is not as commonly used as bimonthly. To avoid confusion, it’s probably best to just say “twice a month.”

This always gets my signals crossed when doing income calculations:

"With biweekly pay, there are 2 months in the year where employees receive 3 checks. Employees paid semimonthly ALWAYS receive 2 checks a month. Companies that run payroll biweekly dole out 26 checks per year."

— Michael Mella 🇺🇸🇩🇴 (@pico87mn) July 11, 2020

Check out the latest Commerce at a Glance, a semimonthly news digest curated from news around the department. https://t.co/9mNEAs9ujN pic.twitter.com/hWPYbzbrPi

— U.S. Commerce Dept. (@CommerceGov) January 15, 2020

think ill start a blog, take up permanent residence outside the babble & lead a quiet life writing things no one will comment on before vanishing unannounced one day after 12 years of consistent semimonthly posting. im past my prime here. the geist has fled my body

— friendly neet (@shadeoftiresias) August 13, 2019

 

 

Try using semimonthly!

Is semimonthly used correctly in the following sentence?

The magazine will transition from being a semimonthly to a quarterly.