Hemispheric is a word with a tricky spelling that can trip up even experienced writers. The first syllable, "hemi," is pronounced with a long "e" sound, represented in IPA phonetics as /hɛmi/. The second syllable, "spheric," has the stress on the first syllable and is pronounced with a short "i" sound, represented as /sfɛrɪk/. The word refers to something that pertains to or covers half of the globe, such as the hemispheric distribution of land and water on Earth.
Hemispheric is an adjective that pertains to or is characteristic of a hemisphere. A hemisphere refers to one half of a spherical or roughly spherical object, particularly the Earth. Thus, "hemispheric" often describes something that exists, occurs, or is relevant within a single half of the Earth.
In a geographical sense, hemispheric refers to division between the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. Each hemisphere has distinct weather patterns, climates, and ecosystems. Therefore, the term hemispheric is often used when discussing the differences between these two halves of the Earth.
Moreover, hemispheric can also relate to the human brain, which has two halves known as cerebral hemispheres. Each hemisphere has specialized functions and is connected by the corpus callosum. Therefore, when referring to brain activity, cognition, or neurological processes, the term hemispheric is commonly used.
In a broader context, hemispheric can extend beyond Earth and the human brain. It can describe any sphere or object that can be divided into two equal halves. For example, a sports ball, such as a soccer ball or basketball, could be described as hemispheric due to its spherical nature and the clear division into two equal parts.
In summary, hemispheric generally refers to anything related to or existing within one half of a spherical object, particularly the Earth or the human brain.
Containing half a sphere or globe; half-round.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word hemispheric is derived from the combination of two Latin roots: hemi meaning half and sphaericus meaning pertaining to a sphere. The Latin roots are taken from the Greek words hemi- (meaning half) and sphaira (meaning sphere). So, hemispheric essentially means pertaining to half a sphere.