demy

[dih-mahy]

noun

plural

demies 

1. a foundation scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford: so called because such a scholar originally received half the allowance of a fellow.

2. (in England) a size of printing paper, 17.5 × 22.5 inches (44 × 57 centimeters).

3. a size of drawing or writing paper, 15.5 (39 centimeters) or 15 × 20 inches (38 × 51 centimeters) in England, 16 × 21 inches (41 × 53 centimeters) in the U.S.

4. Also called demy octavo. a size of book, about 5.5 × 8.75 inches (14 × 48 centimeters), untrimmed. demy 8vo

5. Also called demy quarto. Chiefly British.,  a size of book, about 8.75 × 11 inches (22 × 28 centimeters), untrimmed. demy 4to

demy

/ dɪˈmaɪ /

noun

1. 1. a size of printing paper, 17 1/ 2 by 22 1/ 2 inches (444.5 × 571.5 mm)

   2. a size of writing paper, 15 1/ 2 by 20 inches (Brit) (393.7 × 508 mm) or 16 by 21 inches (US) (406.4 × 533.4 mm)

2. either one of two book sizes, 8 1/ 2 by 5 1/ 2 inches ( demy octavo ) or (chiefly Brit) 11 3/ 4 by 8 5/ 8 inches ( demy quarto )

Word History and Origins

Origin of demy¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English demi, demy; demi-

Word History and Origins

Origin of demy¹

C16: see _demi-

Example Sentences

And Demy’s “Lola” was inspired not just by the character made immortal by Marlene Dietrich in “The Blue Angel” but also by the courtesan chronicled in Ophuls’s last completed picture, “ Lola Montès.”

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Her mysterious character here is named both Lola and Cécile, as was the case in Demy’s 1961 film; clearly both the character and the actress had a cherished place in the director’s personal mythology.

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He pored over foreign imports with fellow “movie crazy” cinephiles, catching private screenings at the French embassy, which is where he first saw his favorite film of all time, Jacques Demy’s 1964 musical romance “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.”

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I love Jacques Demy, ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ all the Howard Hawks movies.

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You might liken them to the American filmmaking partners Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, or the married French new wave directors Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy.

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