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hemi

[hem-ee]
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
noun Automotive.
  1. an internal-combustion engine having hemispherical combustion chambers.

Origin of hemi

shortening of hemi-head

hemi-

  1. a combining form meaning “half,” used in the formation of compound words: hemimorphic.

Origin of hemi-

< Greek hēmi- half; cognate with Latin sēmi- semi-
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hemi

Historical Examples

  • Hemi” means “half,” so each half of the globe is called a “hemisphere.

    Where We Live

    Emilie Van Beil Jacobs

  • The whole is finally protected by a hemi 360spherical covering of moss, made into a sort of felt and lined with wax.

    The Insect World

    Louis Figuier

  • Fine fighters Hemi Nape and his boys, were and well they bore themselves, but alas!

  • Kauaka hei a Hemi taku pu, let not my gun be in the possession of Hemi.

    First Lessons in the Maori Language

    William Leonard Williams

British Dictionary definitions for hemi

hemi-

prefix
  1. halfhemicycle; hemisphere Compare demi- (def. 1), semi- (def. 1)

Word Origin

from Latin, from Greek hēmi-
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hemi

hemi-

word-forming element meaning "half," from Greek hemi- "half," from PIE root *semi-, which is the source of Sanskrit sami, Latin semi- (see semi-), Old High German sami- "half," and Old English sam-, denoting a partial or imperfect condition (see sandblind).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
hemi in Medicine

hemi-

pref.
  1. Half:hemicardia.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
hemi in Science

hemi-

  1. A prefix meaning “half,” as in hemisphere, half a sphere.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.