What does demy mean?
A demy is a traditional paper size used chiefly in book publishing, measuring approximately seventeen and a half by twenty-two and a half inches. When folded into smaller formats it gives rise to familiar designations such as 'demy octavo' and 'demy quarto', long favoured by British publishers for literary hardcovers because the proportions suit both readable text blocks and economical printing. The word also has a distinctly academic second life: at Oxford University, particularly at Magdalen College, a demy is an undergraduate holding a scholarship worth about half the stipend of a fellow — the term deriving from the same notion of 'half' that underlies words like 'demigod' and 'demimonde'. Though neither sense is part of everyday speech today, 'demy' survives robustly in bibliographic description, rare-book cataloguing, and Oxford tradition, making it a useful term for anyone interested in the material history of books or the peculiar vocabulary of university life.
A standard printing paper size of about 17½ × 22½ inches, used especially in book production and often cited in formats like demy octavo.
"The publisher chose demy octavo for the new edition, a format long associated with literary fiction."
Almost exclusively encountered in publishing, printing, and book-collecting contexts.
An Oxford University scholar, especially at Magdalen College, holding an award worth approximately half a fellowship.
"She was elected a demy at Magdalen College in her first year."
Confined to Oxford academic usage; the corresponding scholarship is called a 'demyship'.
Regular English plural; used for multiple scholars or, less commonly, multiple sheets of the paper size.
"The college admitted twelve demies that year."
A 'demy' isn't half of anything you'd expect — it's either a sheet of paper about the size of a small poster or an Oxford undergraduate whose scholarship literally means 'half' a full fellowship.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of demy
The word comes from French 'demi', meaning 'half', which itself traces back through Late Latin 'dimedius' to Latin 'dimidius' ('half'). It entered English in the sixteenth century. The paper-size sense arose because the demy sheet was one of several named sizes (crown, foolscap, royal, etc.) whose origins are largely obscure but whose names became standardized in the early modern printing trade. The Oxford sense applied the same idea of 'halfness' to a scholar receiving half a fellowship's allowance, a usage established by the seventeenth century at Magdalen College.
Related word forms
How demy is actually used
Both senses are somewhat specialized: the paper-size sense appears mainly in printing, publishing, and book-collecting contexts (often in compounds like 'demy octavo' or 'demy 8vo'), while the Oxford sense is confined to academic and historical usage. The word is always lowercase in ordinary prose except when part of a formal title such as 'Magdalen Demy'. The Oxford sense derives from the scholar receiving half the emoluments of a fellow.
Easily confused with demy
'Semi' is a prefix meaning half or partly (as in semiannual), while 'demy' is a specific noun denoting a paper size or an Oxford scholar.
'Demi' is the French-derived prefix meaning half (as in demitasse or demigod), whereas 'demy' as a standalone noun refers to a paper size or an Oxford scholarship holder.