half

Meanings

1. 1
   adv

   partially or to the extent of a half

   We were half hidden by the bushes.

2. 2
   adj

   (of siblings) related through one parent only

   a half brother

3. 3
   noun

   one of two equal parts of a divisible whole

   half a loaf

4. 4
   noun

   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.

5. 5
   noun

   Half of a standard measure, chiefly:

   He came back with a pint of Guinness for me and a half of bitter for Wendy.

6. 6
   noun

   The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.

   Three-quarters minus a quarter is a half.

7. 7
   noun

   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.

8. 8
   noun

   Clipping of half-dollar.

   Tonight, we're offering the last of the Walking Liberty Halves for awhile:^([sic])

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, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian halv, Icelandic hálfur and Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍃 (halbs). Compare halve, behalf.