• (RP) IPA: /hɑːf/
• (AU, New Zealand, Scotland) IPA: /hɐːf/
• (America, Canada) IPA: /hæf/
• (Ireland, Wales) IPA: /haf, häf/

half (not comparable)

1. Consisting of a half (frac 1, 50%).

   a half bushel; a half hour; a half dollar; a half view

2. Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect.

   a half dream; half knowledge

   • 1847, Alfred Tennyson, The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], OCLC 2024748 ↗, (please specify ):

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     Assumed from thence a half-consent.

3. (of a sibling) Having one parent (rather than two) in common.

   A half brother or half sister

4. (rare, 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

• (consisting of a moiety, or half) hemi-, semi-, demi-

• French: demi
• German: halb
• Portuguese: metade, meio
• Russian: пол-

• German: halb
• Portuguese: parte

half (not comparable)

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-hearted; half persuaded; half conscious

   He does sometimes half wish to change his life, but it is too difficult.

   • Half loth and half consenting.

   • Nehemiah 13:24

     Their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod.

• German: halb
• Russian: почти́

half (plural halves)

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.

   • 1634 October 9 (first performance)​, [John Milton], H[enry] Lawes, editor, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: Printed [by Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, OCLC 228715864 ↗; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, OCLC 1113942837 ↗:

     Not half his riches known, and yet despised.

   • ?, Alfred Tennyson, The Gardener's Daughter; or, The Pictures

     A friendship so complete Portion'd in halves between us

   1. (sports) One of the two opposite parts of the playing field of various sports, in which each starts the game.
2. Half of a standard measure; frequently used (British) for half a pint of beer or cider.
   • 1968 (British), John Braine, The Crying Game, Houghton Mifflin, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC00291981&id=8GYhAAAAMAAJ&q=pint+%22a+half+of+bitter%22+-pint-and-a-half+date:1961-1980&dq=pint+%22a+half+of+bitter%22+-pint-and-a-half+date:1961-1980&num=100&pgis=1 page 11],

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

   • 1974 (British), James Herriot, All Things Bright and Beautiful, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0312020309,

     I accepted a half of bitter from him.

   • 2006 (British), Bill Appleton, Wide Boy, Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie, ISBN 1843862530, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1843862530&id=BK_ZSZW3LVsC&pg=PA168&lpg=PA168&ots=xRJ0vS0R0F&dq=pint+%22a+half+of+lager%22+-pint-and-a-half+date:2000-2007&num=100&sig=CQ4kR-PCwEgrrDmgoq3ipacsvl0 page 168],

     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."

3. (preceded by “a” or a number) The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.

   Three-quarters minus a quarter is a half.

4. (obsolete) Part; side; behalf.

   • The four halves of the house

5. Any of the three terms at Eton College, for Michaelmas, Lent, and summer.
6. (slang) A half sibling.
7. (UK, archaic) A child ticket.

• (fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2) ½

• French: moitié
• German: Hälfte
• Italian: metà
• Portuguese: metade, meio
• Russian: полови́на
• Spanish: mitad

• French: demi
• Italian: metà
• Portuguese: metade
• Russian: полови́на
• Spanish: mitad

• Russian: сторона́

half (halves, present participle halving; past and past participle halved)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To halve.

• dimidiate; see also Thesaurus:bisect

1. (UK, Ireland) A half-hour after, thirty minutes after (used with the number of the hour).

   half one