n.
Pronunciation: ' he-m ə - ˌ sfir
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English hemispere, from Latin hemisphaerium, from Greek h ē misphairion, from h ē mi- + sphairion, diminutive of sphaira sphere
Date: 14th century
1 a : a half of the celestial sphere as divided into two halves by the horizon, the celestial equator, or the ecliptic b : half of a spherical or roughly spherical body (as a planet) specifically : the northern or southern half of the earth as divided by the equator or the eastern or western half as divided by a meridian c : the inhabitants of a terrestrial hemisphere
2 : REALM , PROVINCE
3 : one of two half spheres formed by a plane through the sphere's center
4 : a map or projection of a celestial or terrestrial hemisphere
5 : CEREBRAL HEMISPHERE
– hemi · spher · ic \ ˌ he-m ə - ' sfir-ik, - ' sfer- \ or hemi · spher · i · cal \ - ' sfir-i-k ə l, - ' sfer- \ adjective