Adjacent Words

better half definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a person's partner in marriage [syn: spouse, partner, married person, mate, better half]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1580 spouse

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Better Bet"ter, a.; compar. of Good. [OE. betere, bettre, and as adv. bet, AS. betera, adj., and bet, adv.; akin to Icel. betri, adj., betr, adv., Goth. batiza, adj., OHG. bezziro, adj., baz, adv., G. besser, adj. and adv., bass, adv., E. boot, and prob. to Skr. bhadra excellent. See Boot advantage, and cf. Best, Batful.] 1. Having good qualities in a greater degree than another; as, a better man; a better physician; a better house; a better air. Could make the worse appear The better reason. --Milton. 2. Preferable in regard to rank, value, use, fitness, acceptableness, safety, or in any other respect. To obey is better than sacrifice. --1 Sam. xv. 22. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. --Ps. cxviii. 9. 3. Greater in amount; larger; more. 4. Improved in health; less affected with disease; as, the patient is better. 5. More advanced; more perfect; as, upon better acquaintance; a better knowledge of the subject. All the better. See under All, adv. Better half, an expression used to designate one's wife. My dear, my better half (said he), I find I must now leave thee. --Sir P. Sidney. To be better off, to be in a better condition. Had better. (See under Had). Note: The phrase had better, followed by an infinitive without to, is idiomatic. The earliest form of construction was ``were better'' with a dative; as, ``Him were better go beside.'' (--Gower.) i. e., It would be better for him, etc. At length the nominative (I, he, they, etc.) supplanted the dative and had took the place of were. Thus we have the construction now used. By all that's holy, he had better starve Than but once think this place becomes thee not. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Half Half, n.; pl. Halves. [AS. healf. See Half, a.] 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 or into halves; as, to cut in half. [Colloq.] --Dickens. In, 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.

Moby Thesaurus

common-law wife, concubine, consort, feme, feme covert, goodwife, goody, helpmate, helpmeet, lady, married woman, mate, matron, old lady, old woman, partner, rib, spouse, squaw, wedded wife, wife, woman, yokemate