Hemi
/ˈhɛm.i/noun
A shortened form of hemisphere or a combining form meaning half.
Did you know?Hemi- comes from Ancient Greek and appears in words such as hemisphere, meaning literally “half-sphere,” a term that helped shape ancient scientific descriptions of the cosmos.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sem-
“One; together; as one”
Proto-Greek
Greek
*hēmi-
“Half; one of two equal parts”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἡμι- (hēmi-)
“Half; partly”
Late Antiquity
Latin
hemi-
“A Greek-derived combining form meaning half”
17th Century
English
hemi-
“A learned prefix used in scientific compounds”
Modern English
English
hemi
“A shortened form of hemisphere, or an informal term for something hemispherical”