[1685–95; semi- + opaque]This word is first recorded in the period 1685–95. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: accumulator, align, lens, patchwork, sidelinesemi- is a combining form borrowed from Latin, meaning “half,” freely prefixed to Englishwords of any origin, now sometimes with the senses “partially,” “incompletely,” “somewhat”.Other words that use the affix semi- include: semiautomatic, semidetached, semimonthly, semisophisticated