hemisphere
[ hem-i-sfeer ]
/ ˈhɛm ɪˌsfɪər /
noun
(often initial capital letter) half of the terrestrial globe or celestial sphere, especially one of the halves into which the earth is divided.Compare Eastern Hemisphere, Western Hemisphere, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere.
a map or projection representing one of these halves.
a half of a sphere.
Anatomy. either of the lateral halves of the cerebrum or cerebellum.
the area within which something occurs or dominates; sphere; realm.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- hemipterous,
- hemiscotosis,
- hemisect,
- hemisensory,
- hemispasm,
- hemispheric,
- hemispherical,
- hemispheroid,
- hemistich,
- hemistichal
Origin of hemisphere
1325–75; < Latin hēmisphaerium < Greek hēmisphaírion; replacing Middle English emysperie < Old French emispere < Latin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for hemisphere
hemisphere
/ (ˈhɛmɪˌsfɪə) /
noun
one half of a sphere
- half of the terrestrial globe, divided into northern and southern hemispheres by the equator or into eastern and western hemispheres by some meridians, usually 0° and 180°
- a map or projection of one of the hemispheres
either of the two halves of the celestial sphere that lie north or south of the celestial equator
anatomy short for cerebral hemisphere
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
hemisphere
late 14c., hemysperie, in reference to the celestial sphere, from Latin hemisphaerium, from Greek hemisphairion, from hemi- "half" (see hemi-) + sphaira "sphere" (see sphere). Spelling reformed 16c. Of the Earth, from 1550s; of the brain, 1804.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
hemisphere
[ hĕm′ĭ-sfîr′ ]
n.
A half of a symmetrical spherical structure as divided by a plane of symmetry.
Either of the lateral halves of the cerebrum; a cerebral hemisphere.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
hemisphere
[ hĕm′ĭ-sfîr′ ]
One half of a sphere, formed by a plane that passes through the center of the sphere.
Either the northern or southern half of the Earth as divided by the equator, or the eastern or western half as divided by a meridian, especially the prime meridian.
One half of the celestial sphere as divided by any of various great circles, especially the celestial equator and the ecliptic. See more at celestial sphere.
See cerebral hemisphere.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
hemisphere
Any half of the Earth's surface.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.