Etymograph

English

semipermanent

From semi- + permanent.

Formed from semi- + permanent

Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘one’

Proto-Indo-European *sēmi ‘half’

English semi-

Latin maneō ‘I remain’

Latin permaneō ‘to stay through’

Latin permanēns ‘lasting’

Middle French permanent

Middle English permanent

English permanent

Today it means

adj Neither temporary nor entirely permanent; of indefinite duration.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “semipermanent”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / semipermanent