demy

[dih-mahy]

noun, plural de·mies.

a foundation scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford: so called because such a scholar originally received half the allowance of a fellow.
(in England) a size of printing paper, 17.5 × 22.5 inches (44 × 57 cm).
a size of drawing or writing paper, 15.5 (39 cm) or 15 × 20 inches (38 × 51 cm) in England, 16 × 21 inches (41 × 53 cm) in the U.S.

Also called demy octavo. a size of book, about 5.5 × 8.75 inches (14 × 48 cm), untrimmed. Abbreviation: demy 8vo
Also called demy quarto. Chiefly British. a size of book, about 8.75 × 11 inches (22 × 28 cm), untrimmed. Abbreviation: demy 4to

Origin of demy

1400–50; late Middle English demi, demy; see demi-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for demy

Historical Examples of demy

Demy 8vo, with a number of Portraits and other Illustrations.
In the Forbidden Land
Arnold Henry Savage Landor
With Map and over 100 Illustrations, demy 8vo, cloth, price 24s.
In the Forbidden Land
Arnold Henry Savage Landor
Second edition, with 26 large Illustrations, demy 8vo, price 7s.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry
Thomas Anderson
Sensitive, available for three weeks, 13s.: Size 17 by 11, demy folio.
Notes and Queries, Number 222, January 28, 1854
Various
In demy 4to, over 400 pages, cloth gilt and gilt edges, 31s.
A History of Caricature and Grotesque
Thomas Wright

British Dictionary definitions for demy

demy

noun plural -mies

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)
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 Origin for demy

C16: see demi-

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