Adjacent Words

Half definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

H`ALF, n. 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, v.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.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity; "a half chicken"; "lasted a half hour"
2: partial; "gave me a half smile"; "he did only a half job"
3: (of siblings) related through one parent only; "a half brother"; "half sister" [ant: whole] n
1: one of two equal parts of a divisible whole; "half a loaf"; "half an hour"; "a century and one half" [syn: one-half, half]
2: one of two divisions into which some games or performances are divided: the two divisions are separated by an interval adv
1: partially or to the extent of a half; "he was half hidden by the bushes"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural halves) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English healf; akin to Old High German halb half Date: before 12th century 1. a. either of two equal parts that compose something; also a part approximately equal to one of these <half the distance> <the larger half of the fortune> b. half an hour — used in designation of time 2. one of a pair: as a. partner b. semester, term c. either of the two equal periods that together make up the playing time of some games (as football); also the midpoint in playing time <the score was tied at the half> 3. half-dollar 4. halfback II. adjective Date: before 12th century 1. a. being one of two equal parts <a half share> <a half sheet of paper> b. (1) amounting to approximately half <a half mile> <a half million> (2) falling short of the full or complete thing ; partial <half measures> <a half smile> 2. extending over or covering only half <a half window> <a half mask> • halfness noun III. adverb Date: 12th century 1. a. in an equal part or degree <the crowd was half jeering, half respectful> b. not completely ; partially <half persuaded> 2. by any means ; at all <her singing isn't half bad>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n., adj., & adv. --n. (pl. halves) 1 either of two equal or corresponding parts or groups into which a thing is or might be divided. 2 colloq. = half-back. 3 colloq. half a pint, esp. of beer etc. 4 either of two equal periods of play in sports. 5 colloq. a half-price fare or ticket, esp. for a child. 6 Golf a score that is the same as one's opponent's. --adj. 1 of an amount or quantity equal to a half, or loosely to a part thought of as roughly a half (take half the men; spent half the time reading; half a pint; a half-pint; half-price). 2 forming a half (a half share). --adv. 1 (often in comb.) to the extent of half; partly (only half cooked; half-frozen; half-laughing). 2 to a certain extent; somewhat (esp. in idiomatic phrases: half dead; am half inclined to agree). 3 (in reckoning time) by the amount of half (an hour etc.) (half past two). Phrases and idioms: at half cock see COCK(1). by half (prec. by too + adj.) excessively (too clever by half). by halves imperfectly or incompletely (never does things by halves). half-and-half being half one thing and half another. half-back (in some sports) a player between the forwards and full backs. half-baked 1 incompletely considered or planned. 2 (of enthusiasm etc.) only partly committed. 3 foolish. half the battle see BATTLE. half-beak any fish of the family Hemirhamphidae with the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper. half-binding a type of bookbinding in which the spine and corners are bound in one material (usu. leather) and the sides in another. half-blood 1 a person having one parent in common with another. 2 this relationship. 3 = half-breed. half-blooded born from parents of different races. half-blue Brit. 1 a person who has represented a university, esp. Oxford or Cambridge, in a sport but who has not received a full blue. 2 this distinction (see BLUE(1) n. 3). half board provision of bed, breakfast, and one main meal at a hotel etc. half-boot a boot reaching up to the calf. half-breed often offens. a person of mixed race. half-brother a brother with only one parent in common. half-caste often offens. n. a person whose parents are of different races, esp. the offspring of a European father and an Indian mother. --adj. of or relating to such a person. half a chance colloq. the slightest opportunity (esp. given half a chance). half-crown (or half a crown) (in the UK) a former coin and monetary unit worth 2s. 6d. (121/2p). half-cut Brit. sl. fairly drunk. half-deck the quarters of cadets and apprentices on a merchant vessel. half-dozen (or half a dozen) colloq. six, or about six. half-duplex see DUPLEX. half an eye the slightest degree of perceptiveness. half-hardy (of a plant) able to grow in the open air at all times except in severe frost. half hitch a noose or knot formed by passing the end of a rope round its standing part and then through the loop. half holiday a day of which half (usu. the afternoon) is taken as a holiday. half-hour 1 (also half an hour) a period of 30 minutes. 2 a point of time 30 minutes after any hour o'clock. half-hourly at intervals of 30 minutes. half-hunter a watch with a hinged cover in which a small opening allows identification of the approximate position of the hands. half-inch n. a unit of length half as large as an inch. --v.tr. rhymingsl. steal (= pinch). half-integral equal to half an odd integer. half-landing a landing part of the way up a flight of stairs, whose length is twice the width of the flight plus the width of the well. half-lap the joining of rails, shafts, etc., by halving the thickness of each at one end and fitting them together. half-length a canvas depicting a half-length portrait. half-life Physics & Biochem. etc. the time taken for the radioactivity or some other property of a substance to fall to half its original value. half-light a dim imperfect light. half-mast the position of a flag halfway down the mast, as a mark of respect for a person who has died. half measures an unsatisfactory compromise or inadequate policy. half a mind see MIND. half moon 1 the moon when only half its illuminated surface is visible from earth. 2 the time when this occurs. 3 a semicircular object. half nelson Wrestling see NELSON. half-note esp. US Mus. = MINIM 1. the half of it colloq. the rest or more important part of something (usu. after neg.: you don't know the half of it). half pay reduced income, esp. on retirement. half-pie NZ sl. imperfect, mediocre. half-plate 1 a photographic plate 16.5 by 10.8 cm. 2 a photograph reproduced from this. half-seas-over Brit. sl. partly drunk. half-sister a sister with only one parent in common. half-sole the sole of a boot or shoe from the shank to the toe. half-sovereign a former British gold coin and monetary unit worth ten shillings (50p). half-step Mus. a semitone. half-term Brit. a period about halfway through a school term, when a short holiday is usually taken. half-timbered Archit. having walls with a timber frame and a brick or plaster filling. half-time 1 the time at which half of a game or contest is completed. 2 a short interval occurring at this time. half the time see TIME. half-title 1 the title or short title of a book, printed on the recto of the leaf preceding the title-page. 2 the title of a section of a book printed on the recto of the leaf preceding it. half-tone 1 a reproduction printed from a block (produced by photographic means) in which the various tones of grey are produced from small and large black dots. 2 US Mus. a semitone. half-track 1 a propulsion system for land vehicles with wheels at the front and an endless driven belt at the back. 2 a vehicle equipped with this. half-truth a statement that (esp. deliberately) conveys only part of the truth. half-volley (pl. -eys) (in ball games) the playing of a ball as soon as it bounces off the ground. half-yearly at intervals of six months. not half 1 not nearly (not half long enough). 2 colloq. not at all (not half bad). 3 Brit. sl. to an extreme degree (he didn't half get angry). Etymology: OE half, healf f. Gmc, orig. = 'side'

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Half Half (h[aum]f), a. [AS. healf, half, half; as a noun, half, side, part; akin to OS., OFries., & D. half, G. halb, Sw. half, Dan. halv, Icel. h[=a]lfr, 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. Note: 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 (Zo["o]l.), 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 the 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. A half cock, the position of the cock of a gun when retained by the first notch.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Half Half, v. t. To halve. [Obs.] See Halve. --Sir H. Wotton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Half Half, adv. In an equal part or degree; in some pa? appro?mating a half; partially; imperfectly; as, half-colored, half done, half-hearted, half persuaded, half conscious. ``Half loth and half consenting.'' --Dryden. Their children spoke halfin the speech of Ashdod. --Neh. xiii. 24

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.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(halves) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. Half of an amount or object is one of two equal parts that together make up the whole number, amount, or object. They need an extra two and a half thousand pounds to complete the project... More than half of all households report incomes above £35,000... Cut the tomatoes in half vertically... FRACTION • Half is also a predeterminer. We just sat and talked for half an hour or so... They had only received half the money promised... PREDET • Half is also an adjective. ...a half measure of fresh lemon juice... Steve barely said a handful of words during the first half hour. ADJ: ADJ n 2. You use half to say that something is only partly the case or happens to only a limited extent. His eyes were half closed... His refrigerator frequently looked half empty... She'd half expected him to withdraw from the course. ADV: ADV adj, ADV before v 3. In games such as football, rugby, and basketball, matches are divided into two equal periods of time which are called halves. The only goal was scored by Jakobsen early in the second half. N-COUNT: usu ord N 4. A half is a half-price bus or train ticket for a child. (BRIT) N-COUNT 5. You use half to say that someone has parents of different nationalities. For example, if you are half German, one of your parents is German but the other is not. She was half Italian and half English. ADV: ADV adj 6. You use half past to refer to a time that is thirty minutes after a particular hour. 'What time were you planning lunch?'—'Half past twelve, if that's convenient.'... PREP-PHRASE: usu PREP num 7. Half means the same as half past. (BRIT INFORMAL) They are supposed to be here at about half four. PREP: PREP num 8. You can use half before an adjective describing an extreme quality, as a way of emphasizing and exaggerating something. (INFORMAL) He felt half dead with tiredness... ADV: ADV adj [emphasis] • Half can also be used in this way with a noun referring to a long period of time or a large quantity. I thought about you half the night... He wouldn't know what he was saying half the time... PREDET 9. Half is sometimes used in negative statements, with a positive meaning, to emphasize a particular fact or quality. For example, if you say 'he isn't half lucky', you mean that he is very lucky. (BRIT INFORMAL) You don't half sound confident... 'There'd been a tremendous amount of poverty around and presumably this made some impact then.'—'Oh not half.' ADV: with neg, usu ADV before v, ADV adj/adv, ADV n, also ADV as reply [emphasis] 10. You use not half or not half as to show that you do not think something is as good or impressive as it is meant to be. You're not half the man you think you are... ADV: with neg, ADV n, ADV as/so adj [emphasis] 11. When you use an expression such as a problem and a half or a meal and a half, you are emphasizing that your reaction to it is either very favourable or very unfavourable. It becomes clear that Montgomerie has a job and half on his hands. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR [emphasis] 12. If you say that someone never does things by halves, you mean that they always do things very thoroughly. In Italy they rarely do things by halves. Designers work thoroughly, producing the world's most wearable clothes in the most beautiful fabrics. PHRASE: with brd-neg, V inflects 13. If two people go halves, they divide the cost of something equally between them. He's constantly on the phone to his girlfriend. We have to go halves on the phone bill which drives me mad. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR on n 14. half the battle: see battle

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

haf.

See NUMBER.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Moiety.

Moby Thesaurus

allotment, allowance, big end, bigger half, bisection, bit, bite, budget, chunk, commission, contingent, cut, deal, destiny, distributional, distributive, dividend, dole, end, equal, equal share, equidistance, even stephen, fate, fifty percent, fifty-fifty, half-and-half, halfway, halfway house, halver, halvers, helping, hemisphere, interest, lot, measure, mediety, meed, mess, mid-distance, midcourse, middle distance, midway, modicum, moiety, one-and-a-half, part, partial, particular, partly, per capita, per head, percentage, piece, portion, pro rata, proportion, proportional, proportionate, prorated, quantum, quota, rake-off, ration, respective, segment, semicircle, semisphere, several, share, slice, small share, stake, stock