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Webster 1913 Edition

Half

Half

(häf)
,
Adj.
[AS.
healf
,
half
, half; as a noun, half, side, part; akin to OS., OFries., & D.
half
, G.
halb
, Sw.
half
, Dan.
halv
, Icel.
hālfr
, Goth.
halbs
. Cf.
Halve
,
Behalf
.]
1.
Consisting of a moiety, or half;
as, a
half
bushel; a
half
hour; a
half
dollar; a
half
view.
☞ The adjective and noun are often united to form a compound.
2.
Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect;
as, a
half
dream;
half
knowledge.
Assumed from thence a
half
consent.
Tennyson.
Half ape
(Zool.)
,
a lemur.
–
Half back
.
(Football)
See under 2d
Back
.
–
Half bent
,
the first notch, for the sear point to enter, in the tumbler of a gunlock; the halfcock notch.
–
Half binding
,
a style of bookbinding in which only the back and corners are in leather.
–
Half boarder
,
one who boards in part; specifically, a scholar at a boarding school who takes dinner only.
–
Half-breadth plan
(Shipbuilding)
,
a horizontal plan of one half a vessel, divided lengthwise, showing the lines.
–
Half cadence
(Mus.)
,
a cadence on the dominant.
–
Half cap
,
a slight salute with the cap.
[Obs.]
Shak.
–
At half cock
,
the position of the cock of a gun when retained by the first notch.
–
Half hitch
,
a sailor’s knot in a rope; half of a clove hitch.
–
Half hose
,
short stockings; socks.
–
Half measure
,
an imperfect or weak line of action.
–
Half note
(Mus.)
,
a minim, one half of a semibreve.
–
Half pay
,
half of the wages or salary; reduced pay; as, an officer on half pay.
–
Half price
,
half the ordinary price; or a price much reduced.
–
Half round
.
(a)
(Arch.)
A molding of semicircular section.
(b)
(Mech.)
Having one side flat and the other rounded; – said of a file.
–
Half shift
(Mus.)
,
a position of the hand, between the open position and the first shift, in playing on the violin and kindred instruments. See
Shift
.
–
Half step
(Mus.)
,
a semitone; the smallest difference of pitch or interval, used in music.
–
Half tide
,
the time or state of the tide equally distant from ebb and flood.
–
Half time
,
half the ordinary time for work or attendance; as, the half-time system.
–
Half tint
(Fine Arts)
,
a middle or intermediate tint, as in drawing or painting. See
Demitint
.
–
Half truth
,
a statement only partially true, or which gives only a part of the truth.
Mrs. Browning.
–
Half year
,
the space of six months; one term of a school when there are two terms in a year.

Half

,
adv.
In an equal part or degree; in some part approximating a half; partially; imperfectly;
as,
half
-colored,
half
done,
half
-hearted,
half
persuaded,
half
conscious
.
“Half loth and half consenting.”
Dryden.
Their children spoke
half
in the speech of Ashdod.
Neh. xiii. 24.

Half

(häf)
,
Noun.
;
pl.
Halves
(hävz)
.
[AS.
healf
. See
Half
,
Adj.
]
1.
Part; side; behalf.
[Obs.]
Wyclif.
The four
halves
of the house.
Chaucer.
2.
One of two equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided; – sometimes followed by of;
as, a
half
of an apple
.
Not
half
his riches known, and yet despised.
Milton.
A friendship so complete
Portioned in
halves
between us.
Tennyson.
Better half
.
See under
Better
.
–
In half
,
in two; an expression sometimes used improperly instead of
in halves
or
into halves
;
as, to cut
in half
.
[Colloq.]
Dickens.
–
In one's half
or
On one's half
,
in one's behalf; on one's part.
[Obs.]
–
To cry halves
,
to claim an equal share with another.
–
To go halves
,
to share equally between two.

Half

,
Verb.
T.
To halve.
[Obs.]
See
Halve
.
Sir H. Wotton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Half

H`ALF

,
Noun.
h`af. plu.halves, pron. h`avz.
One equal part of a thing which is divided into two parts, either in fact or in contemplation; a moiety; as half a pound; half a tract of land; half an orange; half the miseries or pleasures of life. It is applied to quantity, number, length, and every thing susceptible of division. In practice, of is often or usually omitted after half. We say, half a pound; half a mile; half the number.
Half the misery of life.

H`ALF

,
Verb.
T.
To divide into halves. [See Halve.]

H`ALF

,
adv.
In part, or in an equal part of degree.
Half loth, and half consenting.
In composition, half denotes an equal part; or indefinitely, a part, and hence, imperfect.

Definition 2024

half

half

See also: half- and hálf-

English

Alternative forms

Adjective

half ‎(not comparable)

  1. Consisting of a moiety, or half (1/2, 50%).
    a half bushel; a half hour; a half dollar; a half view
  2. Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect.
    a half dream; half knowledge
  3. (of a sibling) Having one parent (rather than two) in common.
    A half brother or half sister
  4. (rare, of a relative other than a sibling) Related through one common grandparent or ancestor rather than two.
    A half uncle or half aunt or half cousin
  5. (Britain, time) Half an hour after the time given; half past.
    We went to bed at half ten.

Usage notes

  • (consisting of a moiety, or half): The adjective and noun are often united to form a compound.

Synonyms

Derived terms

See also those listed at Category:English words prefixed with half-.

Translations

Adverb

half ‎(not comparable)

  1. In two equal parts or to an equal degree; in some part approximating a half; partially; imperfectly
    half-colored; half done; half-hearted; half persuaded; half conscious
    • John Dryden:
      Half loth and half consenting.
    • Nehemiah 13:24:
      Their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod.

Translations

Noun

half ‎(plural halves)

  1. 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.
    • (Can we date this quote?), John Milton:
      Not half his riches known, and yet despised.
    • (Can we date this quote?), Alfred Tennyson:
      A friendship so complete Portioned in halves between us
    1. (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.
  2. Half of a standard measure; frequently used (Britain) for half a pint of beer or cider.
    • 1968 (Britain), 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 (Britain), James Herriot, All Things Bright and Beautiful, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0312020309,
      I accepted a half of bitter from him.
    • 2006 (Britain), Bill Appleton, Wide Boy, Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie, ISBN 1843862530, 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."
  3. (preceded by “a” or a number) The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.
    Three-quarters minus a quarter is a half.
  4. (obsolete) part; side; behalf
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Wyclif to this entry?)
  5. Any of the three terms at Eton College, for Michaelmas, Lent, and summer.

Synonyms

  • (fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2): ½

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

half ‎(third-person singular simple present halves, present participle halving, simple past and past participle halved)

  1. (transitive, obsolete) To halve.

Translations

Preposition

half

  1. (Britain, Ireland) a half-hour after, thirty minutes after (used with the number of the hour)
    half one — half past one, 1:30

See also

References

  • half in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: mother · often · themselves · #268: half · certain · sent · keep

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɦɑlf/

Etymology

From Middle Dutch half, from Old Dutch *half, from Proto-Germanic *halbaz.

Cognate with English half, German halb, West Frisian heal, Danish halv.

Adjective

half ‎(not comparable)

  1. half
  2. (with numbers) half before the next whole
    half tien
    half past nine (i.e. half an hour before ten)
    anderhalf
    one and a half (half before two, with ander originally meaning second)

Inflection

Inflection of half
uninflected half
inflected halve
comparative —
positive
predicative/adverbial half
indefinite m./f. sing. halve
n. sing. half
plural halve
definite halve
partitive halfs

Derived terms

German

Verb

half

  1. Past tense singular of helfen.

Etymology

From Middle English half, from Old English healf ‎(“half”); as a noun, 'half', 'side', 'part', from Proto-Germanic *halbaz; akin to Old Saxon, Old Frisian, and Dutch half, West Frisian heal, German halb, Swedish halv, Danish halv, Icelandic hálfur and Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍃 ‎(halbs). Compare halve, behalf.

Pronunciation

Rhymes: -ɑːf
Rhymes: -æf

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