halve

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /hɑːv/ See IPA manual

Freq #60928

Meanings

1

verb
divide by two

Divide into halves.
2

verb
To reduce to half the original amount.

These show that since 1946 the fatality rate in train and movement accidents combined has been halved, [...].
3

verb
To make up half of.

So far apart their lives are thrown / From the twin soul that halves their own.
4

verb
In match play, to achieve a tie or draw on.

I, of course, had no difficulty in doing likewise, and we halved the hole; but the awkward fact remained that I must now gain every hole to win the match, for my opponent's score was "nine up," and there only remained ten holes to play.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

bisectdimidiate

Word family

Forms halved

Derived forms halvable

Etymology

From Middle English halven, helven, from Old English hilfan, helfan, *hielfan (“to halve, divide in two”), from Proto-West Germanic *halbijan, from Proto-Germanic *halbijaną (“to halve”), from Proto-Germanic *halbaz (“half”). Cognate with Middle Dutch halven (“to halve”), Middle High German halben, helben (“to halve”). Compare also West Frisian helte (“to halve”), Dutch halveren (“to halve”), German Low German halberen (“to halve”), German halbieren (“to halve”), Danish halvere (“to halve”), Swedish halvera (“to halve”).

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# halve

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /hɑːv/
**Frequency rank:** 60928

## Meanings
1. divide by two
2. To reduce to half the original amount.
3. To make up half of.
4. In match play, to achieve a tie or draw on.

## Examples
- Divide into halves.
- These show that since 1946 the fatality rate in train and movement accidents combined has been halved, [...].
- So far apart their lives are thrown / From the twin soul that halves their own.
- I, of course, had no difficulty in doing likewise, and we halved the hole; but the awkward fact remained that I must now gain every hole to win the match, for my opponent's score was "nine up," and there only remained ten holes to play.

## Synonyms
- bisect
- dimidiate

## Derived Forms
- halvable

## Etymology
From Middle English halven, helven, from Old English hilfan, helfan, *hielfan (“to halve, divide in two”), from Proto-West Germanic *halbijan, from Proto-Germanic *halbijaną (“to halve”), from Proto-Germanic *halbaz (“half”). Cognate with Middle Dutch halven (“to halve”), Middle High German halben, helben (“to halve”). Compare also West Frisian helte (“to halve”), Dutch halveren (“to halve”), German Low German halberen (“to halve”), German halbieren (“to halve”), Danish halvere (“to halve”), Swedish halvera (“to halve”).

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

markdown