Spanish word

trimestre

Pronunciation

IPA/tɾiˈmestɾe/

Meaning

  • masculine nounquarter

Example

Pagamos impuestos cada trimestre.

We pay taxes every quarter.

Illustration for trimestre (quarter)

More examples

El trimestre pasado empecé un curso de francés.

Last term I started a French course.

Core concept

Consecutive three-month span used to divide the calendar year into quarters.

Common phrases

  • cada trimestre

    every three months

  • el primer trimestre

    the first quarter

  • durante el trimestre

    during the term

Similar words

mes: A one-month span on the calendar used as a basic time unit.
semestre: A six-month span equal to half a year.
año: A full twelve-month cycle that makes one year.
periodo: Any clearly delimited period of time used for measurement or planning.

Definition in Spanish

Periodo de tres meses consecutivos empleado para dividir el año con fines civiles, académicos o fiscales.

Word origin

Derived from Latin trimestris (tri- 'three' + mensis 'month'), the term passed through medieval Latin into Spanish and shifted from an adjectival form to a noun denoting a three-month period.

Usage tips

  • Stress falls on the second syllable (tri-MES-tre) and the final -e is pronounced like a Spanish e rather than an English -er sound.

Other meanings

  • termnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • trimestralquarterlyadjective
  • trimestralmenteon a quarterly basisadverb

Word lists with this word