Swedish · Work & Business
Semester
Vacation
Beginnernoun · common
Definition
Paid time off work, a cherished Swedish institution.
Example
Vi har fem veckors semester i Sverige.
We have five weeks of vacation in Sweden.
Etymology
The word 'semester' comes from the Latin 'semestre', meaning 'half-year', originally associated with academic terms. It has evolved in Swedish to predominantly denote vacation periods, especially in educational contexts.
How & Where It’s Used
'Semester' is mostly used in spoken and written forms in informal contexts, especially among students and workers in discussions about time off. It is common across all regions of Sweden.