Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of several standard sizes of paper, especially paper measuring 16 by 21 inches.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The gold half-lion of 20 grains of Robert II. of Scotland, the lion itself weighing 40, or more usually 38, grains.
  • Half: used to indicate a particular size of paper. See II.
  • noun A particular size of paper.
  • noun A holder of one of certain scholarships in Magdalen College, Oxford. Also spelled demi.
  • noun A Scotch gold coin issued by James I. in 1433, and worth at that time 3s. 4d. English. Obverse type, arms in a lozenge; reverse, cross in tressure.
  • noun A short close vest.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Pertaining to, or made of, the size of paper called demy.
  • noun A printing and a writing paper of particular sizes. See under paper.
  • noun A half fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A printing-paper size, 17½ inches by 22½ inches.
  • noun colloquial Shortened form of demyship

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of demi–.]

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Examples

  • He was elected "demy" (at Magdalen, scholars bear this name) the first year (1689) after the Revolution, when the fellows of

    The Charm of Oxford 1892

  • "The size most in fashion was that now known as the demy folio, of which the leaf is about ten inches wide and fifteen inches long, but smaller sizes were often made.

    Bibliomania in the Middle Ages Frederick Somner Merryweather

  • Ant. & Cl.I. v. 24 [Antony] The demy Atlas of this Earth, the Arme And Burganet of men.

    Medallion Vulcan | SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Collectibles 2009

  • Then he slid demy seemed to understand what she was saying and turned toward her.

    Dolls Paul de Denus 2010

  • Crap, I'll bet "The Acah-demy" nominates Tony Soprano again this year, even tho his show's off de air.

    Your Take on Heigl-Gate | the TV addict 2008

  • Notepaper, foolscap, crown, and post-demy are all necessarily sized; and these papers have been the pride of the Angouleme mills for a long while past, stationery being the specialty of the

    Eve and David 2007

  • Notepaper, foolscap, crown, and post-demy are all necessarily sized; and these papers have been the pride of the Angouleme mills for a long while past, stationery being the specialty of the

    Eve and David 2007

  • Who can resist words like pott (OED: "originally bearing the watermark of a pot"), columbier ("F. colombier dove-cote, used in same sense"), demy, double elephant?

    languagehat.com: BOOK SIZES. 2005

  • At Oxford he was a demy scholar and joint editor of the University magazine Isis.

    Raiding the nursery Richard 2005

  • For let no man thinke that culuerin or demy-canon can sufficiently batter a defensible rampire: and of those pieces which we had; the better of the demy-canons at the second shot brake in her carriages, so as the battery was of lesse force, being but of three pieces.

    The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation 2003

Comments

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  • A type of octavo size in rare/antique book printing

    February 20, 2007