Magdeburg hemisphere

noun

Either of a pair of large copper hemispheres, with mating rims, that were used to demonstrate the power of atmospheric pressure. When the rims were sealed with grease and the air was pumped out, the sphere contained a vacuum and could not be pulled apart even by teams of horses.

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Meanings

nounMagdeburg hemisphere (plural Magdeburg hemispheres)

plural Magdeburg hemispheres

  1. historicalEither of a pair of large copper hemispheres, with mating rims, that were used to demonstrate the power of atmospheric pressure. When the rims were sealed with grease and the air was pumped out, the sphere contained a vacuum and could not be pulled apart even by teams of horses.

Origin

They were designed by Otto von Guericke, a German scientist and mayor of Magdeburg, in 1656.

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Cite this entry
APA

Magdeburg hemisphere. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Magdeburg%20hemisphere

MLA

“Magdeburg hemisphere.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Magdeburg%20hemisphere. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Magdeburg hemisphere,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Magdeburg%20hemisphere.

Source: Magdeburg hemisphere on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.