half
adverb
- in equal part or degree
- partially
- at all, by any means
adjective
- 50%
noun
- one of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈhɑːf/ / /ˈhaːf/ / /ˈhäːf/
adj
Etymology: Etymology tree Middle English half English half 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.
- Consisting of a half (½, 50%).
“a half kilo”
“a half hour”
- Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect.
“a half truth”
“Assumed from thence a half-consent.”
- Having one parent (rather than two) in common.
“A half brother or half sister”
- Related through one common grandparent or ancestor rather than two.
“A half uncle or half aunt or half cousin”
adv
Etymology: Etymology tree Middle English half English half 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.
- In two equal parts or to an equal degree.
- In some part approximating a half.
- Partially; imperfectly.
“half-colored”
“The task is only half done.”
- Practically, nearly.
“To be a King, is halfe to bee a God.”
intj
Etymology: Etymology tree Middle English half English half 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.
- A call reminding performers that the performance will begin in thirty minutes.
noun
Etymology: Etymology tree Middle English half English half 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.
- One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.
“I ate the smaller half of the apple.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
- One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.
“An association football match usually consists of two halves of 45 minutes each.”
- One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.
“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:
“He came back with a pint of Guinness for me and a half of bitter for Wendy.”
“I accepted a half of bitter from him.”
- Half of a standard measure, chiefly:
“Barrels came in firkins, nine gallons; kilderkins, eighteen gallons; halves, twenty-seven gallons; barrels, thirty-six gallons and hogsheads, fifty-four.”
- The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.
“Three-quarters minus a quarter is a half.”
- Any of the three terms at Eton College, for Michaelmas, Lent, and summer.
- A half sibling.
“So for Richard and Barbara, Jeff and Kari, the impossibly varied collection of steps and halves that is another legacy of my father.”
- A child ticket. Two and a half to Paddington.
- abbreviated form for half marathon.
- Clipping of half-dollar.
“Tonight, we're offering the last of the Walking Liberty Halves for awhile:^([sic])”
prep
Etymology: Etymology tree Middle English half English half 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.
- Half past; a half-hour (30 minutes) after the last hour.
“The time is 9:30; it is half nine.”
- A half-hour to (preceding) the next hour.
“In some countries, "half seven" means 6:30.”
verb
Etymology: Etymology tree Middle English half English half 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.
- To halve.