In 1511, leaders in Mecca believed coffee stimulated radical thinking and outlawed the drink. In 1524, the leaders overturned that order, and people could drink coffee again.
HEMISPHERE
hemisphere, cerebral hemisphere
(noun) either half of the cerebrum
hemisphere
(noun) half of the terrestrial globe
hemisphere
(noun) half of a sphere
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
hemisphere (plural hemispheres)
(astronomy, astrology) Half of the celestial sphere, as divided by either the ecliptic or the celestial equator [from 14th c.].
(figuratively) A realm or domain of activity [1503].
(geography) Half of the Earth, such as the Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, Western Hemisphere or Eastern Hemisphere, Land Hemisphere, Water Hemisphere etc. [1550s].
(geometry) Any half-sphere, formed by a plane intersecting the center of a sphere. [1580s].
(cartography) A map or projection of a celestial or terrestrial hemisphere [1706].
(anatomy) Either of the two halves of the cerebrum. [1804].
Synonyms
• (astronomy: half of the celestial sphere): celestial hemisphere
• (geography: half of the terrestrial sphere): terrestrial hemisphere
• (figuratively: a domain of thought or action): sphere
• (geometry: half of a sphere): half-sphere, half sphere
• (anatomy: either of the two lobes of the cerebellum): cerebral hemisphere
• (cartography: a map showing a projection of a hemisphere): planisphere
Source: Wiktionary
Hem"i*sphere, n. Etym: [L. hemisphaerium, Gr. hémisphère. See Hemi-, and Sphere.]
1. A half sphere; one half of a sphere or globe, when divided by a plane passing through its center.
2. Half of the terrestrial globe, or a projection of the same in a map or picture.
3. The people who inhabit a hemisphere. He died . . . mourned by a hemisphere. J. P. Peters. ten Cerebral hemispheres. (Anat.) See Brain.
– Magdeburg hemispheres (Physics), two hemispherical cups forming, when placed together, a cavity from which the air can be withdrawn by an air pump; -- used to illustrate the pressure of the air. So called because invented by Otto von Guericke at Magdeburg.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
10 June 2025
COMMUNICATIONS
(noun) the discipline that studies the principles of transmiting information and the methods by which it is delivered (as print or radio or television etc.); “communications is his major field of study”
Coffee Trivia
