Half

Half, häf, n. one of two equal parts: a contraction of half-year, as in a school session:—pl. Halves (hävz).—adj. having or consisting of one of two equal parts: being in part: incomplete, as measures.—adv. in an equal part or degree: in part: imperfectly.—v.i. to divide into two equal parts.—ns. Half′-and-half, a mixture of beer or porter and ale; Half′-back, in football, a position on the right or left side of the field, between the quarter-back and full-back, or directly behind the forwards: a player occupying this position.—adj. Half′-baked, underdone: incomplete: half-witted.—v.t. Half′-baptise′, to baptise privately and hastily.—ns. Half′-bind′ing, a style of bookbinding in which the backs and corners are of leather, and the sides of paper or cloth; Half′-blood, relation between those who are of the same father or mother, but not of both.—adj. Half′-blood′ed.—ns. Half′-board (naut.), a manœuvre by which a sailing-ship gains distance to windward by luffing up into the wind; Half′-boot, a boot reaching half-way to the knee.—adj. Half′-bound, bound only partly in leather, as a book.—n. Half′-breed, one that is half-blooded.—adj. Half′-bred, half or not well bred or trained: wanting in refinement.—ns. Half′-broth′er, Half′-sis′ter, a brother or sister by one parent only; Half′-cap (Shak.), a cap only partly taken off: a slight salute; Half′-caste, a person one of whose parents belongs to a Hindu caste, and the other is a European: any half-breed; Half′-cheek (Shak.), a face in profile; Half′-cock, the position of the cock of a gun when retained by the first notch (see Cock); Half′-crown, a silver coin in England, of the value of two shillings and sixpence.—adj. Half′-dead, almost dead, nearly exhausted.—n. Half′-doll′ar, a silver coin of the United States, worth 50 cents.—adj. Half′-done, not fully cooked, roasted, &c.—n. Half′-doz′en, six.—adjs. Half′-ed′ucated, imperfectly educated; Half′en (Spens.), half.—adv. Half′endeal (Spens.), half.—adjs. Half′-faced (Shak.), showing only part of the face: wretched-looking; Half′-heart′ed, cold, ungenerous: lukewarm: indifferent.—adv. Half′-heart′edly.—ns. Half′-heart′edness; Half′-holiday, half of a working day for recreation; Half′-kir′tle, a kind of jacket worn by women in the 16th and 17th centuries; Half′-length, a portrait or photograph showing the upper part of the body.—adj. of half-length.—ns. Half′ling, a half-grown person, between a boy and a man; Half′-mast, the position of a flag lowered half-way down, in respect for the dead or in signal of distress; Half′-meas′ure, any means inadequate for the end proposed; Half′-moon, the moon at the quarters when but half of it is illuminated: anything semicircular; Half′-mourn′ing, a mourning costume less than deep or full mournings.—adj. Half′-nā′ked, as nearly naked as clothed.—ns. Half′-note (mus.), a minim, being one-half of a semibreve or whole note; Half′-one (golf), a handicap of one stroke every second hole; Half′-pay, reduced pay, as of naval or military officers when not in active service.—adj. receiving half-pay.—ns. Halfpenny (hā′pen-i), a copper coin worth half a penny: the value of half a penny: (Shak.) anything very small:—pl. Halfpence (hā′pens); Half′pennyworth, the worth or value of a halfpenny; Half′-pike, a pike with a shaft only half the length of the ordinary; Half′-price, a reduced charge of admission, &c.—adj. at half the usual prices.—adj. Half′-round (Milt.), semicircular.—ns. Half′-roy′al, a special kind of millboard or pasteboard; Half′-shell, one-half of a bivalve, as in oysters 'on the half-shell.'—adj. Half′-sight′ed, short-sighted.—n. Half′-sov′ereign, an English gold coin, worth ten shillings.—adj. Half′-starved, having insufficient food.—ns. Half′-suit, the body armour of the 17th century; Half′-sword (Shak.), fight within half a sword's length: close fight; Half′-tide, the tide half-way between flood and ebb.—adj. left dry at half-tide.—ns. Half′-tim′er, one who works only half the usual time, esp. a pupil in an elementary school allowed to be absent half the school-day at some employment; Half′-tint, an intermediate tint; Half′-tī′tle, a short title of a book at the head of the first page of the text, or a title of any subdivision of a book when printed in a full page; Half′-truth, a statement conveying only part of the truth.—adv. Half′-way, at half the way or distance: imperfectly.—adj. equally distant from two points.—adjs. Half′-wit′ted, weak in intellect; Half′-year′ly, occurring at every half-year or twice in a year.—adv. twice in a year.—n. Bett′er-half, a wife.—Half-seas-over, half-drunk.—Not half, to a very slight extent: (slang) not at all.—Cry halves, to claim a half-share; Go halves, to share equally with a person. [A.S. healf (Ger. halb, Dan. halv); original meaning 'side.']