English Explanatory Dictionary

half

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.
  2. One of two equal periods into which a game is divided.
  3. One of the two opposite parts of the playing field of various sports, in which each starts the game.
  4. Half of a standard measure, chiefly:
  5. 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.
  6. A barrel measure of 27 gallons (half a hogshead).
  7. The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.
  8. Any of the three terms at Eton College, for Michaelmas, Lent, and summer.
  9. A half sibling.
  10. A child ticket. Two and a half to Paddington.
  11. abbreviated form for half marathon.
  12. Clipping of half-dollar.
adj
  1. Consisting of a half (½, 50%).
  2. Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect.
  3. Having one parent (rather than two) in common.
  4. Related through one common grandparent or ancestor rather than two.
adv
  1. In two equal parts or to an equal degree.
  2. In some part approximating a half.
  3. Partially; imperfectly.
  4. Practically, nearly.
verb
  1. To halve.
prep
  1. Half past; a half-hour (30 minutes) after the last hour.
  2. A half-hour to (preceding) the next hour.
intj
  1. A call reminding performers that the performance will begin in thirty minutes.

Pronunciation

/ˈhɑːf/ /ˈhaːf/ /ˈhäːf/ /ˈhɐ̞ːf/ /ˈhæf/ en-us-half.ogg /ˈhɛə̯f/ /ˈhaf/

Word forms

half halves 'arf ha'f halfe halving halved

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. Cognates Cognate with Old Saxon, Old Frisian, and Old Dutch half, West Frisian heal, Dutch half, German halb, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish halv, Icelandic hálfur and Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍃 (halbs). Compare halve, behalf.

Synonyms

½ semi- hemi- demi- halfly bipartition bisect dichotomize dimidiate half halve half past

Related words

not half

Derived words

ain't half and a half better half by halves call it half a day cry halves fly-half fly half go halves half a brain half a chance half-a-dollar half a grunter half a head half a loaf is better than none half and half half-cock half mask half-pay half slab half sole half-solid 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 one and a half syndrome one-half crosswise one-half lengthwise other half right-half scrum half scrum-half second half seven and a half sharp-and-a-half shelter half swift half take one's half out of the middle the half of it time and a half too clever by half 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

Translations

Abkhaz: абжа Afar: abxa Albanian: gjysmë Southern Altai: јарым Arabic: نِصْف Arabic: نُصْف Arabic: نص Armenian: կես Aromanian: giumitati Asturian: mitá Azerbaijani: yarım Bashkir: ярты Bashkir: ярым Belarusian: палаві́на Belarusian: пало́ва Bengali: আধা Breton: hanter Bulgarian: полови́на Burmese: အခြမ်း Burmese: အခွဲ Catalan: meitat Chamicuro: pachishki Chechen: ах Cherokee: ᎠᏰᏟ Chinese Cantonese: 半 Chinese Cantonese: 一半 Chinese: 半 Chinese: 一半 Chinese Mandarin: 半 Chinese Mandarin: 一半 East Circassian: ныкъуэ West Circassian: ныкъо Ngazidja Comorian: upanɗe class 11/10a Czech: polovina Czech: půlka Czech: půl Dalmatian: mesu Danish: halvdel Dutch: helft Esperanto: duono Estonian: pool Ewe: afɑ̃ Farefare: pʋsʋka Faroese: helvt Finnish: puolikas Finnish: puolet Finnish: puoli French: moitié Friulian: mieç Friulian: mitât Galician: metade Georgian: ნახევარი Georgian: მეორედი German: Hälfte Assamese: আধা Central Bikol: kabanga Bulgarian: половин Catalan: mig Chinese Cantonese: 半 Chinese Mandarin: 半 Czech: půl Danish: halv Dutch: half Esperanto: duona Finnish: puoli French: demi West-Frisian: heal Friulian: mieç Georgian: ნახევარი German: halb Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍃 Greek: ήμισυς Greek: μισός Ancient Greek: ἥμισυς Gujarati: અર્ધું Gujarati: અડધું
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