half

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: Akin to Old Saxon, Old Frisian, and Dutch half, West Frisian heal, German halb, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian halv, Icelandic hálfur and Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍃 (halbs). Compare halve, behalf.

noun

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.
   Of the passengers on the plane, half were English.
   The cake was delicious: half was vanilla and half was chocolate.
2. (sports) One of the two opposite parts of the playing field of various sports, in which each starts the game.
   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. September 16, 2011, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand 83-7 Japan”, in BBC Sport
3. Half of a standard measure, chiefly: (Britain) half a pint of beer or cider.
   He came back with a pint of Guinness for me and a half of bitter for Wendy. 1968, John Braine, The Crying Game, Houghton Mifflin, page 11
   I accepted a half of bitter from him. 1974, James Herriot, All Things Bright and Beautiful, St. Martin's Press,
   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." 2006, Bill Appleton, Wide Boy, Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie, page 168
4. (preceded by “a” or a number) The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.
   Three-quarters minus a quarter is a half.
5. Any of the three terms at Eton College, for Michaelmas, Lent, and summer.
6. (slang) 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. 2016, Robert M. Herzog, A World Between
7. (UK, archaic) A child ticket.
8. (sports) abbreviated form for half marathon.
9. (numismatic slang) Clipping of half-dollar.
   Tonight, we're offering the last of the Walking Liberty Halves for awhile: Aug 15, 2002, Fred A. Murphy, “FA: Last of the Walkers”, in rec.collecting.coins (Usenet), retrieved 2023-01-03

adj

1. Consisting of a half (½, 50%).
   a half kilo
   a half hour
   a half dollar
2. Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect.
   a half truth
3. (of a sibling) Having one parent (rather than two) in common.
   A half brother or half sister
4. (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

adv

1. In two equal parts or to an equal degree.
2. In some part approximating a half.
3. Partially; imperfectly.
   half-colored
   half done
   half persuaded
   half conscious
   He does sometimes half wish to change his life, but it is too difficult.
4. Practically, nearly.

verb

1. (transitive, obsolete) To halve.

prep

1. (UK, Ireland) Half past; a half-hour (30 minutes) after the last hour.
   The time is 9:30; it is half nine.
2. (rare, see usage notes) A half-hour to (preceding) the next hour.
   In some countries, "half seven" means 6:30.

intj

1. (theater) A call reminding performers that the performance will begin in thirty minutes.