Half Half (häf) adjective [ Anglo-Saxon healf , half , half; as a noun, half, side, part; akin to Old Saxon , OFries., & Dutch half , German halb , Swedish half , Danish halv , Icelandic hālfr , Goth. halbs . Confer Halve , Behalf .] 1. Consisting of a moiety, or half; as, a half bushel; a half hour; a half dollar; a half view.

» 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 (Zoology) , 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 one half a vessel, divided lengthwise, showing the lines. -- Half cadence (Mus.) , a cadence on the dominant. -- Half cap , a slight salute with the cap. [ Obsolete] Shak. -- At half cock , the position of the cock of a gun when retained by the first notch. -- Half hitch , a sailor's knot in a rope; half of a clove hitch. -- Half hose , short stockings; socks. -- Half measure , an imperfect or weak line of action. -- Half note (Mus.) , a minim, one half of a semibreve. -- Half pay , half of the wages or salary; reduced pay; as, an officer on half pay . -- Half price , half the ordinary price; or a price much reduced. -- Half round . (a) (Architecture) A molding of semicircular section. (b) (Mech.) Having one side flat and the other rounded; -- said of a file. -- Half shift (Mus.) , a position of the hand, between the open position and the first shift, in playing on the violin and kindred instruments. See Shift . -- Half step (Mus.) , a semitone; the smallest difference of pitch or interval, used in music. -- Half tide , the time or state of the tide equally distant from ebb and flood. -- Half time , half the ordinary time for work or attendance; as, the half-time system. -- Half tint (Fine Arts) , a middle or intermediate tint, as in drawing or painting. See Demitint . -- Half truth , a statement only partially true, or which gives only a part of the truth. Mrs. Browning. -- Half year , the space of six months; one term of a school when there are two terms in a year.

Half Half adverb In an equal part or degree; in some part approximating a half; partially; imperfectly; as, half -colored, half done, half -hearted, half persuaded, half conscious. " Half loth and half consenting." Dryden.

Their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod.

Neh. xiii. 24.

Half Half (häf) noun ; plural Halves (hävz). [ Anglo-Saxon healf . See Half , adjective ] 1. Part; side; behalf. [ Obsolete] 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. [ Obsolete] -- To cry halves , to claim an equal share with another. -- To go halves , to share equally between two.

Half Half transitive verb To halve. [ Obsolete] See Halve . Sir H. Wotton.

Half blood Half" blood` (blŭd). 1. The relation between persons born of the same father or of the same mother, but not of both; as, a brother or sister of the half blood . See Blood , noun , 2 and 4.

2. A person so related to another.

3. A person whose father and mother are of different races; a half-breed.

» In the 2d and 3d senses usually with a hyphen.

Half nelson Half nelson (Wrestling) A hold in which one arm is thrust under the corresponding arm of the opponent, generally behind, and the hand placed upon the back of his neck. In the full nelson both hands are so placed.

Half seas over Half" seas` o"ver (sēz` ō"vẽr). Half drunk. [ Slang: used only predicatively.] Spectator.

Half tone, Half-tone Half tone, Half"-tone` noun 1. (Fine Arts) (a) An intermediate or middle tone in a painting, engraving, photograph, etc.; a middle tint, neither very dark nor very light. (b) A half-tone photo- engraving.

2. (Music) A half step.

Half-and-half Half`-and-half" noun A mixture of two malt liquors, esp. porter and ale, in about equal parts. Dickens.

Half-blooded Half"-blood`ed adjective 1. Proceeding from a male and female of different breeds or races; having only one parent of good stock; as, a half-blooded sheep.

2. Degenerate; mean. Shak.

Half-boot Half"-boot` (-bōt`) noun A boot with a short top covering only the ankle. See Cocker , and Congress boot , under Congress .

Half-bound Half"-bound` (-bound`) noun Having only the back and corners in leather, as a book.

Half-bred Half"-bred` (-brĕd`) adjective 1. Half-blooded. [ Obsolete]

2. Imperfectly acquainted with the rules of good-breeding; not well trained. Atterbury.

Half-breed Half"-breed` (-brēd`) adjective Half-blooded.

Half-breed Half"-breed` noun A person who is half-blooded; the offspring of parents of different races, especially of the American Indian and the white race.

Half-brother Half"-broth`er (-brŭth`ẽr) noun A brother by one parent, but not by both.

Half-caste Half"-caste` (-kȧst) noun One born of a European parent on the one side, and of a Hindoo or Mohammedan on the other. Also adjective; as, half-caste parents.

Half-clammed Half"-clammed` (-klămd`) adjective Half-filled. [ Obsolete]

Lions' half-clammed entrails roar for food.

Marston.

Half-cracked Half"-cracked` (-krăkt`) adjective Half-demented; half-witted. [ Colloq.]

Half-deck Half"-deck` (-dĕk`) noun 1. (Zoology) A shell of the genus Crepidula ; a boat shell. See Boat shell .

2. See Half deck , under Deck .

Half-decked Half"-decked` (-dĕkt) adjective Partially decked.

The half-decked craft . . . used by the latter Vikings.

Elton.

Half-faced Half"-faced` (-fāst`) adjective Showing only part of the face; wretched looking; meager. Shak.

Half-fish Half"-fish` (-fĭsh`) noun (Zoology) A salmon in its fifth year of growth. [ Prov. Eng.]

Half-hatched Half"-hatched` (-hăcht`) adjective Imperfectly hatched; as, half-hatched eggs. Gay.

Half-heard Half"-heard` (-hẽrd`) adjective Imperfectly or partly heard; not heard to the end.

And leave half-heard the melancholy tale.

Pope.

Half-hearted Half"-heart`ed (-härt`ĕd) adjective 1. Wanting in heart or spirit; ungenerous; unkind. B. Jonson.

2. Lacking zeal or courage; lukewarm. H. James.

Half-hourly Half"-hour`ly (-our`lȳ) adjective Done or happening at intervals of half an hour.

Half-learned Half"-learned` (häf"lẽrnd`) adjective Imperfectly learned.

Half-length Half"-length` (-lĕngth`) adjective Of half the whole or ordinary length, as a picture.

Half-mast Half"-mast` (-mȧst`) noun A point some distance below the top of a mast or staff; as, a flag a half-mast (a token of mourning, etc.).

Half-moon Half"-moon` (-mōn`) noun 1. The moon at the quarters, when half its disk appears illuminated.

2. The shape of a half-moon; a crescent.

See how in warlike muster they appear,
In rhombs, and wedges, and half-moons , and wings.

Milton.

3. (Fort.) An outwork composed of two faces, forming a salient angle whose gorge resembles a half-moon; -- now called a ravelin .

4. (Zoology) A marine, sparoid, food fish of California ( Cæsiosoma Californiense ). The body is ovate, blackish above, blue or gray below. Called also medialuna .

Half-penny Half"-pen·ny (hā"pĕn*nȳ or häf"-; 277), noun ; plural Half-pence (- p e ns) or Half-pennies (- pĕn*nĭz). An English coin of the value of half a penny; also, the value of half a penny.

Half-pike Half"-pike` (häf"pīk`) noun (Mil.) A short pike, sometimes carried by officers of infantry, sometimes used in boarding ships; a spontoon. Tatler.

Half-port Half"-port` (-pōrt`) noun (Nautical) One half of a shutter made in two parts for closing a porthole.

Half-ray Half"-ray` (-rā`) noun (Geom.) A straight line considered as drawn from a center to an indefinite distance in one direction, the complete ray being the whole line drawn to an indefinite distance in both directions.

Half-read Half"-read` (-rĕd`) adjective Informed by insufficient reading; superficial; shallow. Dryden.

Half-sighted Half"-sight`ed (-sīt`ĕd) adjective Seeing imperfectly; having weak discernment. Bacon.

Half-sister Half"-sis`ter (-sĭs`tẽr) noun A sister by one parent only.

Half-strained Half"-strained` (-strānd`) adjective Half-bred; imperfect. [ R.] "A half-strained villain." Dryden.

Half-sword Half"-sword` (-sōrd`) noun Half the length of a sword; close fight. "At half- sword ." Shak.

Half-timbered Half"-tim`bered (-tĭm`bẽrd) adjective (Architecture) Constructed of a timber frame, having the spaces filled in with masonry; -- said of buildings.

Half-tone Half"-tone` adjective Having, consisting of, or pertaining to, half tones; specif. ( Photo- engraving ), pertaining to or designating plates, processes, or the pictures made by them, in which gradation of tone in the photograph is reproduced by a graduated system of dotted and checkered spots, usually nearly invisible to the unaided eye, produced by the interposition between the camera and the object of a screen. The name alludes to the fact that this process was the first that was practically successful in reproducing the half tones of the photograph.

Half-tongue Half"-tongue` (-tŭng`) noun (O. Law) A jury, for the trial of a foreigner, composed equally of citizens and aliens.

Half-wit Half"-wit` (-wĭt`) noun A foolish person; a dolt; a blockhead; a dunce. Dryden.

Half-witted Half"-wit`ted (-tĕd) adjective Weak in intellect; silly.

Half-yearly Half"-year`ly (-yēr`lȳ) adjective Two in a year; semiannual. -- adverb Twice in a year; semiannually.

Halfbeak Half"beak` (häf"bēk`) noun (Zoology) Any slender, marine fish of the genus Hemirhamphus , having the upper jaw much shorter than the lower; -- called also balahoo .

Halfcock Half"cock` (-kŏk`) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Halfcocked (-kŏkt); present participle & verbal noun Halfcocking .] To set the cock of (a firearm) at the first notch.

To go off halfcocked . (a) To be discharged prematurely, or with the trigger at half cock; -- said of a firearm. (b) To do or say something without due thought or care. [ Colloq. or Low]

Halfen Half"en (-'n) adjective [ From Half .] Wanting half its due qualities. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Halfendeal Half"en·deal` (-'n*dēl`) adverb [ Middle English halfendele . See Half , and Deal .] Half; by the half part. [ Obsolete] Chaucer. -- noun A half part. [ Obsolete] R. of Brunne.

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