Definition of the word half

Pronunciation of vocabulary half

halfnoun

một nửa, phần chia đôi, nửa giờ, nửa

/hɑːf/

Definition of the word <b>half</b>

Origin of the word half

The word "half" originates from Old English "halfe", which is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*halbaz", meaning "comprising half". This Proto-Germanic word is also the source of the Modern German word "halb" and the Dutch word "half". The Proto-Germanic word is thought to have been derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*swele-", which meant "to split" or "to divide". This root is also the source of other English words such as "shell" and "swell". The use of "half" as a noun to refer to one of two equal parts dates back to Old English times. For example, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, written around the 9th century, you can find mentions of "halve" being used to describe one of two equal parts of a land or a town.

Vocabulary summary half

typenoun, plural halves

meaning(a) half, split in half

examplehalf crying, crying, laughing: half crying, half laughing, half crying, half laughing

exampleto be half awake

examplehalf your time

meaninghalf hour, thirty minutes

examplehalf dead

exampleit is not half enough

meaninghalf reward (not quite half)

examplehe is not half bad; he; is not half a bad bad felloow: he is not a bad person at all, he is a good person

examplehe waster half of his time

typeadjective

meaninghalf

examplehalf crying, crying, laughing: half crying, half laughing, half crying, half laughing

exampleto be half awake

examplehalf your time

meaningWell begun is half the job done

examplehalf dead

exampleit is not half enough

Example of vocabulary halfnamespace

meaning

either of two equal parts into which something is or can be divided

một trong hai phần bằng nhau mà một cái gì đó được hoặc có thể được chia

  • two and a half kilos (= 2½)

    hai cân rưỡi (= 2½)

  • One and a half hours are allowed for the exam.

    Một tiếng rưỡi được phép cho kỳ thi.

  • An hour and a half is allowed for the exam.

    Một tiếng rưỡi được phép cho kỳ thi.

  • in the first half of the 20th century

    trong nửa đầu thế kỷ 20

  • The second half of the book is more exciting.

    Nửa sau của cuốn sách thú vị hơn.

  • The two halves of the city were reunited in 1990.

    Hai nửa thành phố đã được thống nhất vào năm 1990.

  • the left half of the brain

    nửa bên trái của não

  • the lower half of the window

    nửa dưới của cửa sổ

  • the northern half of the country

    nửa phía bắc của đất nước

  • I've divided the money in half.

    Tôi đã chia số tiền làm đôi.

  • We'll need to reduce the weight by half.

    Chúng ta sẽ cần giảm trọng lượng đi một nửa.

Extra examples:
  • Cut the remaining half into large chunks.

    Cắt nửa còn lại thành khối lớn.

  • Over a half of all accidents happen in the home.

    Hơn một nửa số vụ tai nạn xảy ra trong nhà.

  • She's four and a half years old now.

    Bây giờ cô bé đã được bốn tuổi rưỡi.

  • in the latter half of the 19th century

    vào nửa sau thế kỷ 19

  • the rear half of the car

    nửa sau của xe

meaning

either of two periods of time into which a sports game, concert, etc. is divided

một trong hai khoảng thời gian trong đó một trận đấu thể thao, buổi hòa nhạc, v.v. được chia ra

  • No goals were scored in the first half.

    Không có bàn thắng nào được ghi trong hiệp một.

  • She played well in the second half of the match.

    Cô ấy đã chơi tốt trong nửa sau của trận đấu.

  • He made two superb saves in the first two minutes of the half.

    Anh ấy đã thực hiện hai pha cứu thua xuất sắc trong hai phút đầu tiên của hiệp một.

  • We had a few chances to score in both halves.

    Chúng tôi có một vài cơ hội để ghi bàn trong cả hai hiệp.

meaning

one of the defending players in hockey or rugby whose position is between those who play at the front of a team and those who play at the back

một trong những cầu thủ phòng ngự trong môn khúc côn cầu hoặc bóng bầu dục có vị trí nằm giữa những người chơi ở phía trước của một đội và những người chơi ở phía sau

meaning

one of the two attacking players in american football whose position is behind the quarterback and next to the full backs

một trong hai cầu thủ tấn công của bóng đá Mỹ có vị trí đứng sau tiền vệ và bên cạnh hậu vệ cánh

meaning

the position a half back plays at (also called a tailback in american football)

vị trí mà một hậu vệ cánh chơi ở (còn gọi là hậu vệ cánh trong bóng đá Mỹ)

meaning

half a pint (= 0.568 of a litre in the UK and some other countries, and 0.473 of a litre in the US) of beer or a similar drink

nửa pint (= 0,568 lít ở Anh và một số quốc gia khác, và 0,473 lít ở Mỹ) bia hoặc đồ uống tương tự

  • Two halves of bitter, please.

    Làm ơn cho hai nửa đắng.

Words, synonyms, related vocabulary half

Idioms of vocabulary half

and a half
(informal)bigger, better, more important, etc. than usual
  • That was a game and a half!
    • do nothing/not do anything by halves
    to do whatever you do completely and to the greatest possible degree
  • You're expecting twins? Well, you never did do anything by halves.
    • go half and half | go halves (with somebody)
    to share the cost of something equally with somebody
  • We go halves on all the bills.
    • the half of it
    used in negative sentences to say that a situation is worse or more complicated than somebody thinks
  • ‘It sounds very difficult.’ ‘You don't know the half of it.’
    • have a good mind to do something | have half a mind to do something
    used to say that you think you will do something, although you are not sure
  • I've half a mind to come with you tomorrow.
    • used to say that you think that what somebody has done is bad and should do something about it, although you probably will not
  • I've a good mind to write and tell your parents about it.
    • how the other half lives
    the way of life of a different social group, especially one much richer than you
    it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other
    (saying)used to say that there is not much real difference between two possible choices
    time and a half
    one and a half times the usual rate of pay
  • We get time and a half on Sundays.
    • too clever, etc. by half
    (British English, informal, disapproving)clever, etc. in a way that annoys you or makes you not trust somebody/something

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