Definition of the word half hour

The phrase "half hour" is a conventional way to refer to a duration of 30 minutes. Its origin can be traced back to medieval England when the day was divided into 12 equal parts called "hours," with each hour roughly lasting two modern-day hours. Originally, the term "hour" referred to a period of approximately 60 minutes, consisting of four periods of 15 minutes each, known as "quarters" or "quarters of an hour." Therefore, when referring to a duration of 30 minutes, people would say "three quarters of an hour" or "four and a half quarters of an hour." Over time, as the day became more closely aligned with the modern 24-hour clock, the traditional meaning of "hour" began to shift. Today, as the English language has evolved and standardized, "half hour" has become the common phrase used to refer to a duration of 30 minutes. Interestingly, in many contemporary languages, such as French, Spanish, and German, the phrase for "half hour" is simply a combination of the words for "half" and "hour," indicating that these languages still adhere to the traditional definition of an hour as an equal division of the day. In contrast, in English, "half hour" has become an independent phrase with its own meaning, no longer directly tied to the notion of "quarters" or the traditional notion of an hour's length.