hemisphere

The word “hemisphere” means one half of the Earth, typically divided north/south by the equator or east/west by a chosen meridian. In plain terms, half of a sphere — used for halves of the Earth, the brain, or any round shape.

“Hemisphere” is pronounced HEH-mihs-feer (/ˈhɛmɪsfɪɹ/ in IPA).

Here is “hemisphere” used in a sentence: “Australia sits entirely in the Southern Hemisphere.”

Words with a similar meaning to “hemisphere” include terrestrial hemisphere and half sphere.

“Hemisphere” is a noun.

The word “hemisphere” comes from Greek. From Greek hemisphairion, combining hemi- ("half") and sphaira ("sphere").

“Hemisphere” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Hemisphere” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: one half of the Earth, typically divided north/south by the equator or east/west by a chosen meridian.

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of the Earth north of the equator, while the Southern Hemisphere is the half south of it. The two hemispheres experience opposite seasons at the same time of year because of the tilt of the Earth's axis.

The left and right hemispheres are the two halves of the brain, connected by a bundle of nerve fibers. They are popularly associated with different functions, though brain research shows most complex tasks involve both hemispheres working together rather than one side alone.

A sphere is a complete round three-dimensional shape, while a hemisphere is exactly half of a sphere, created by cutting it with a plane through its center. The word applies both to geometric shapes and to real-world divisions like the Earth or the brain.