half
English
| ← 1 | 2 | 3 → |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal: two Ordinal: second Latinate ordinal: secondary Reverse order ordinal: second to last, second from last, last but one Latinate reverse order ordinal: penultimate Adverbial: two times, twice Multiplier: twofold Latinate multiplier: double Distributive: doubly Group collective: both, pair, twosome Multipart collective: doublet, couple, couplet Greek or Latinate collective: dyad Metric collective prefix: double- Greek collective prefix: di-, duo- Latinate collective prefix: bi- Fractional: half Metric fractional prefix: demi- Latinate fractional prefix: semi- Greek fractional prefix: hemi- Elemental: twin, doublet Greek prefix: deutero- Number of musicians: duo, duet, duplet Number of years: biennium | ||
Etymology
From Middle English half, halfe from Old English healf (“half”); as a noun, 'half', 'side', 'part', from Proto-West Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic *halbaz.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, Northern England) IPA(key): /hɑːf/
- Rhymes: -ɑːf
- (General Australian, New Zealand, Scotland) IPA(key): /hɐːf/
- (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /hæf/
Audio (US) (file)
- Rhymes: -æf
Noun
half (plural halves)
- One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.
- I ate the slightly smaller half of the apple.
- You don’t know the half of it.
- Of the passengers on the plane, half were English.
- The cake was delicious: half was vanilla and half was chocolate.
- 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC:
- Not half his riches known, and yet despised.
- 1842, Alfred Tennyson, “The Gardener’s Daughter; or, The Pictures”, in Poems. […], volume II, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 19:
- I and he, / Brothers in Art; a friendship so complete / Portion'd in halves between us, […]
- (sports) One of the two opposite parts of the playing field of various sports, in which each starts the game.
- 2011 September 16, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand 83-7 Japan”, in BBC Sport:
- However, the hosts hit back and hit back hard, first replacement hooker Andrew Hore sliding over, then Williams careering out of his own half and leaving several defenders for dead before flipping the ball to Nonu to finish off a scintillating move.
- Half of a standard measure, chiefly:
- (British) half a pint of beer or cider. (Refusing a pint) Just a half, thank you. (Offering to top up a pint glass) Do you want a half in that? (Minimizing the amount of drink taken) A swift half at the Pear Tree.
- 1968, John Braine, The Crying Game, Houghton Mifflin, page 11:
- He came back with a pint of Guinness for me and a half of bitter for Wendy.
- 1974, James Herriot, All Things Bright and Beautiful, St. Martin's Press,, →ISBN:
- I accepted a half of bitter from him.
- 2006, Bill Appleton, Wide Boy, Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie, →ISBN, page 168:
- I went to the bar where I bought a pint and two large brandies. ... "Not brandy," she replied, "but I could use a long drink - maybe a half of lager."
- (liquor trade) A barrel measure of 27 gallons (half a hogshead).
- 1987, Keith Dunstan, The Amber Nectar, Ringwood: Vicking O'Neil, page 81:
- Barrels came in firkins, nine gallons; kilderkins, eighteen gallons; halves, twenty-seven gallons; barrels, thirty-six gallons and hogsheads, fifty-four.
- (British) half a pint of beer or cider. (Refusing a pint) Just a half, thank you. (Offering to top up a pint glass) Do you want a half in that? (Minimizing the amount of drink taken) A swift half at the Pear Tree.
- (preceded by “a” or a number) The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.
- Synonym: ½
- Three-quarters minus a quarter is a half.
- Any of the three terms at Eton College, for Michaelmas, Lent, and summer.
- (slang) A half sibling.
- 2016, Robert M. Herzog, A World Between:
- So for Richard and Barbara, Jeff and Kari, the impossibly varied collection of steps and halves that is another legacy of my father.
- (UK, dated) A child ticket. Two and a half to Paddington.
- (sports) abbreviated form for half marathon.
- (numismatic slang) Clipping of half-dollar.
- 2002 August 15, Fred A. Murphy, “FA: Last of the Walkers”, in rec.collecting.coins (Usenet), retrieved 2023-01-03:
- Tonight, we're offering the last of the Walking Liberty Halves for awhile:[sic]
Derived terms
Terms derived from half (noun)
- ain't half
- and a half
- better half
- by halves
- cry halves
- fly half
- fly-half
- go halves
- half a brain
- half a chance
- half a loaf is better than none
- half and half
- half sole
- half-world
- hell and half of Georgia
- how the other half lives
- in half
- in one's half
- know the half of
- left-half
- not half
- not half bad
- other half
- right-half
- scrum half
- scrum-half
- second half
- seven and a half
- sharp-and-a-half
- shelter half
- take one's half out of the middle
- the half of it
- time and a half
- too clever by half
Translations
one of two equal parts into which anything may be divided
|
half a standard measure
math: fraction
|
part; side; behalf
one of three terms in Eton
half sibling
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Adjective
half (not comparable)
- Consisting of a half (½, 50%).
- Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect.
- a half truth
- 1847, Alfred Tennyson, “(please specify the page number, or |part=Prologue, I to VII, or conclusion)”, in The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:
- Assumed from thence a half-consent.
- (of a sibling) Having one parent (rather than two) in common.
- A half brother or half sister
- (of a relative other than a sibling) Related through one common grandparent or ancestor rather than two.
Usage notes
- (consisting of a half): The adjective and noun are often united to form a compound, half-hour.
Derived terms
See also those listed at Category:English terms prefixed with half-.
Terms derived from half (adjective). A few may possibly be derived from the adverb, it's hard to tell
- all over hell's half acre
- at half-sword
- automatic half-barrier level crossing
- baker's half dozen
- by half
- centre-half
- centre half
- cheap at half the price
- cut the baby in half
- do by half-measures
- dummy half
- first half
- four-half
- glass-half-empty
- glass-half-full
- go half and half
- go off half-cocked
- half-a-crown
- half adder
- half a dozen
- half-a-dozen
- half again
- half a loaf is better than no bread
- half a loaf is better than no loaf
- half a mind
- half a mo
- half-and-half
- half an eye
- half-angel
- half an hour
- half-an-hour
- half ape
- half-ape
- half-arse
- half-asleep
- half ass
- half-ass
- half-assed
- half-assedly
- half-assery
- half-awake
- half back
- half-back
- half-baked
- half baked
- half-bakedness
- half-ball
- half-baptism
- half-barrier
- half-bat
- half bath
- half bathroom
- half bent
- half binding
- half birthday
- half-birthday
- half-blood
- half blood
- half-blooded
- half blue
- half board
- half boarder
- half-boiled
- half-boot
- half-bound
- half-brained
- half-breadth plan
- half-break
- half-bred
- half-breed
- half-broken
- half-brother
- half brother
- half brother-in-law
- half-built
- half butt
- half cadence
- half-caf
- half cap
- half-caste
- half cell
- half-cell
- half cent
- half-century
- half-chair
- half-chance
- half-clammed
- half cock
- half-cocked
- half cocked
- half-colonel
- half columnar
- half court
- half-court
- half-court line
- half-court violation
- half-cousin
- half-cracked
- half-crown
- half cut
- half-cut
- half day
- half dead
- half-dead
- half-deal
- half-decent
- half-demon
- half dime
- half-diminished seventh chord
- half-dollar
- half-dozen
- half dozen
- half duplex
- half-duplex
- half eagle
- half-edge
- half-elf
- half-elven
- half-embrace
- half empty
- half-equation
- half-evergreen
- half-expect
- half-faced
- half fare
- half-finished
- half-first cousin
- half-fish
- half foot
- half forward
- half-frame
- half-free
- half full
- half gip
- half-gip
- half glove
- half-god
- half gross
- half-grown
- half gyp
- half-gyp
- half-half
- half-halt
- half-hardy
- half-heartedly
- half-heartedness
- half-hitch
- half hitch
- half-holiday
- half hose
- half hour
- half-hourlong
- half-hourly
- half-human
- half-hunter
- half-identical
- half-inch
- half-integer
- half-integral
- half in the bag
- half-island
- half-jacket
- half-Jew
- half joe
- half joke
- half-joke
- half-jokingly
- half-kirtle
- half-landing
- half-length
- half-life
- half-light
- half-line
- half lit
- half-long
- half-long vowel
- half-marathon
- half-marathoner
- half-marrow
- half mast
- half-mast
- half-measure
- half measure
- half-metal
- half-metallic
- half-metallicity
- half-mile
- half-monthly
- half-moon
- half moon
- half-mourning
- half murder
- half-naked
- half-natural
- half nelson
- half-nephew
- half nephew
- halfness
- half niece
- half-niece
- half-night stand
- half-noble
- half note
- half-one
- half-op
- half-open
- half-open file
- half-open interval
- half orphan
- half-orphan
- half page
- half-pant
- half-pass
- half-past-six
- half pay
- half-pike
- half-pint
- half-pipe
- half pipe
- half-plane
- half-plate
- half polluted
- half-port
- half-pounder
- half price
- half-price
- half-rate
- half-ray
- half-reaction
- half-read
- half rest
- half rhyme
- half-rocked
- half round
- half-royal
- half seas over
- half-seen
- half shaft
- half shell
- half shift
- half-shower
- half sib
- half-sib
- half-sibling
- half-sibling-in-law
- half-sider
- half-sighted
- half-silvered mirror
- half sister
- half-sister
- half sister-in-law
- half slip
- half smile
- half-smile
- half sovereign
- half space
- half stack
- half-staff
- half staff
- half-standard
- half step
- half-step
- half-strained
- half-suit
- half-swastika
- half-term
- half term
- half the battle
- half the story
- half-tide
- half tide
- half-timbering
- half-time
- half time
- half-timer
- half tint
- half-tint
- half-title
- half title
- half tone
- half-tone
- half-track
- half-tracker
- half-truth
- half truth
- half-uncle
- half-unicorn
- half-up half-down
- half-value thickness
- half viaduct
- half-virgin
- half volley
- half-volley
- half-waking
- half-waxen
- half-wheel
- half-width
- half-wild
- half-Windsor
- half-wit
- half-witch
- half-witted
- half-wittedly
- half-wizard
- half-year
- half year
- half-yearly
- half-zip
- jury of half-tongue
- knowing is half the battle
- like one o'clock half struck
- listen with half an ear
- maternal half aunt
- maternal half-uncle
- one and a half
- one-and-a-half-spaced
- one-half
- one half
- on the half hour
- open half space
- paternal half aunt
- paternal half-uncle
- rear admiral lower half
- saw the baby in half
- second-half
- see the glass half-empty
- see the glass half-full
- see with half an eye
- the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long
- well begun is half done
- you can't be half pregnant
Descendants
Translations
consisting of a half
|
consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half
|
Adverb
half (not comparable)
- In two equal parts or to an equal degree.
- In some part approximating a half.
- Partially; imperfectly.
- half-colored
- half done
- half persuaded
- half conscious
- He does sometimes half wish to change his life, but it is too difficult.
- 1690, [John] Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: […], London: […] Jo. Hindmarsh, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page number):
- Half loth and half consenting.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Nehemiah 13:24:
- Their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod.
- 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto V:
- I sometimes hold it half a sin
To put in words the grief I feel;
For words, like Nature, half reveal
And half conceal the Soul within.
- Practically, nearly.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene v:
- To be a King, is halfe to bee a God.
Usage notes
- (approximating a half): The phrase half again expresses an amount in addition to the amount being compared to. E.g., half as many people refers to 50% of the original number, while half again as many people refers to 150% of the original number.
Synonyms
- (partially; imperfectly): halfly (obsolete)
Derived terms
Terms derived from half (adverb)
Translations
in two equal parts or to an equal degree
|
See also
Verb
half (third-person singular simple present halves, present participle halving, simple past and past participle halved)
- (transitive, obsolete) To halve.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:bisect
Translations
halve — see halve
Preposition
half
Usage notes
In English, the first sense (half past) is the only sense in current use. The second sense (half-hour before) is almost exclusively used in reference to other cultural or linguistic backgrounds where a similar usage exists.
Interjection
half
- (theater) A call reminding performers that the performance will begin in thirty minutes.
References
- “half”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch half, from Old Dutch *half, from Proto-West Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic *halbaz.
Cognate with English half, German halb, West Frisian heal, Danish halv.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɦɑlf/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: half
- Rhymes: -ɑlf
Adjective
half (not comparable)
German
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /half/
Audio (file)
Middle English
Etymology
From Old English healf, half, from Proto-West Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic *halbaz.
Noun
half (plural halves or halfes or halven)
- half
- part; side; behalf
- 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Myllers Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, →OCLC:
- The four halves of the house
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Wyclif to this entry?)
Alternative forms
Alternative forms
Alternative forms
Descendants
References
- “half, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- “half, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- “half, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
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