hemisphere

Meanings

1. 1nouncountabletechnical

   One of the two halves of the Earth, divided by the equator into north and south or by a meridian into east and west.

   Grammar: Countable, and usually preceded by a direction: the northern hemisphere.

   Patterns

   • the northern hemisphere
   • the southern hemisphere
   • in the hemisphere

   Australia lies in the southern hemisphere, so its summer comes in December.

   Most of the world's people live in the northern hemisphere.

   Birds from this hemisphere migrate thousands of miles each year.

2. 2nouncountablemedicaltechnical

   Either of the two rounded halves of the brain, left or right.

   Grammar: Countable and usually specified as left or right: the left hemisphere.

   Patterns

   • the left hemisphere
   • the right hemisphere
   • a cerebral hemisphere

   Damage to the left hemisphere can affect speech.

   The two hemispheres of the brain communicate through a thick band of nerve fibers.

   Some people say that artists use the right hemisphere more, though research does not support this.

3. 3nouncountabletechnicalmathematics

   Any half of a sphere or ball-shaped object, or a dome shaped like that.

   Grammar: Countable: cut the ball into two hemispheres.

   Patterns

   • a hemisphere of something

   Cut the melon into two equal hemispheres.

   The observatory roof is a glass hemisphere that rotates.

Word forms

Common combinations

northern hemisphere

Winter in the northern hemisphere begins in December.

southern hemisphere

Many southern hemisphere countries celebrate Christmas in summer.

western hemisphere

Brazil is the largest country in the western hemisphere's south.

left hemisphere

Language is processed mainly in the left hemisphere for most people.

cerebral hemisphere

Each cerebral hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body.

Synonyms and how they differ

half

Half is a general word for one of two equal parts, while hemisphere is specific to globes, planets and the brain.

dome

A dome is a rounded roof or shape, and it does not imply being half of a complete sphere as hemisphere does.

region

Region names a vague area of any size, whereas a hemisphere always means one of two halves.

Word family

hemispheric adjective

relating to a hemisphere

hemispherical adjective

shaped like half a sphere

sphere noun

a perfectly round three-dimensional object

interhemispheric adjective

between the two halves of the brain

Commonly confused: hemisphere or hemisphere/hemispheric spelling?

Practice

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