half
half Lexical Profile
half Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Forming or amounting to one of two equal or nearly equal parts of a whole.
"The recipe calls for a half cup of melted butter and two tablespoons of sugar."
Partial, incomplete, or not meeting the full extent, standard, or degree of something.
"Management realized that half measures would not be enough to resolve the company's financial crisis."
• noun
Either of two equal or corresponding parts into which a whole object, quantity, or group is divided.
"She cut the ripe avocado into two equal halves and removed the pit."
Either of the two equal periods of play that make up a game in sports such as soccer, basketball, or American football.
"The home team trailed early on but scored three goals in the second half to win the match."
British Half a pint of beer or cider.
"He ordered a half of bitter at the pub before catching his train home."
• pronoun
An amount, part, or number equal to fifty percent of a specified or implied whole.
"Nearly half of the students in the seminar chose to write their final paper on renewable energy."
• adverb
To the extent of fifty percent, or to a partial, incomplete, or moderate degree.
"The potatoes were only half cooked when the oven suddenly lost power."
Word Nuance & Usage
When 'half' is used as a pronoun or determiner followed by 'of', the verb agrees in number with the noun that follows 'of' (e.g., 'Half of the pie is gone' vs. 'Half of the apples are gone'). Avoid confusing the noun/adjective 'half' with its corresponding verb form, 'halve'.
• Rhymes for half
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'healf', meaning 'side, part, or one of two equal divisions', tracing back to the Proto-Germanic root '*halbo-', meaning 'something divided'.