Hemisphere
/ˈhɛm.ɪ.sfɪər/noun
Either half of a sphere, especially one half of the Earth.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek mathematical language, where it named a literal half of a round body long before it became a map term for Earth, so the “world” was once imagined in pure shape, not politics.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἡμισφαίριον (hēmisphairion)
“a half-sphere”
Late Latin
Latin
hemisphaerium
“a half-sphere”
Old French
Old French
hemisfere
“a hemisphere; half of a sphere”
14th Century
Middle English
hemispher(e)
“a half of a sphere”
Modern English
English
hemisphere
“either half of a sphere, especially one half of the Earth”