Half

häf, n. one of two equal parts: a contraction of half-year, as in a school se ion:— 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, .— 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′edne ; 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 distre ; Half′-me as′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 le 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 admi ion, .— 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.']