hemisphere
noun
Did you know?
Hemisphere includes the prefix hemi-, meaning "half". The northern and southern hemispheres are divided by the equator, the circle halfway between Earth's two poles. The eastern and western hemispheres aren't divided so exactly, since there are no poles in the Earth's east-west dimension. Often the dividing line is said to be the "prime meridian"—the imaginary north-south line that runs through Greenwich, England, from which all longitude is calculated (itself being the 0° meridian). But for simplicity's sake, the eastern hemisphere is often said to include all of Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia, while the western hemisphere contains North and South America and a great deal of ocean.
Examples of hemisphere in a Sentence
Sarene Leeds, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
The impasse has created new political divisions that are already beginning to play out through the hemisphere.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2024
The bullet entered her head just above her left eye, stayed in the left hemisphere, did not cross through the brain's geometric center and exited through the back, doctors said.
—Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 2 Aug. 2024
This is far faster than the crust could have formed and solidified, which means that the hemisphere dichotomy couldn’t be caused by Earth’s tidal pull.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 19 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for hemisphere 
Dictionary Entries Near hemisphere
Cite this Entry
“Hemisphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hemisphere. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hemisphere
noun
Medical Definition
hemisphere
noun
Share