King James Bible Dictionary

H'ALF, noun h'af. plural halves, pronoun h'avz.

One equal part of a thing which is divided into two parts, either in fact or in contemplation; a moiety; as half a pound; half a tract of land; half an orange; half the miseries or pleasures of life. It is applied to quantity, number, length, and every thing susceptible of division. In practice, of is often or usually omitted after half We say, half a pound; half a mile; half the number.

Half the misery of life.

H'ALF, verb transitive To divide into halves. [See Halve.]

H'ALF, adverb In part, or in an equal part of degree.

Half loth, and half consenting.

In composition, half denotes an equal part; or indefinitely, a part, and hence, imperfect.

H'ALFBLOOD, noun Relation between persons born of the same father or of the same mother, but not of both; as a brother or sister of the halfblood The word is sometimes used as an adjective.

H'ALF-BLOODED, adjective Mean; degenerate. [Little used.]

1. Proceeding from a male and female, each of full blood, but of different breeds; as a half-blooded sheep.

H'ALF-BRED, adjective Mixed; mongrel; mean.

H'ALF-CAP, noun A cap not wholly put on.

H'ALF-DEAD, adjective Almost dead; nearly exhausted.

H'ALFEN, adjective Wanting half its due qualities. [Not used.]

H'ALFER, noun One that possesses half only.

1. A male fallow deer gelded.

H'ALF-FACED, adjective Showing only part of the face.

H'ALF-HATCHED, adjective Imperfectly hatched; as half-hatched eggs.

H'ALF-HEARD, adjective Imperfectly heard; not heard to the end.

And leave half-heard the melancholy tale.

A measure of about seven or eight gallons.
Measure, Dry

H'ALF-LEARNED, adjective Imperfectly learned.

H'ALF-LOST, adjective Nearly lost.

H'ALF-MARK, noun A coin; a noble, or 6s.8d. sterling.

H'ALF-MOON, noun The moon at the quarters, when half its disk appears illuminated.

1. Any thing in the shape of a half-moon In fortification, an outwork composed of two faces, forming a salient angle, whose gorge is in the form of a crescent or half-moon

H'ALF-PART, noun An equal part.

H'ALF-PAY, noun Half the amount of wages or salary; as, an officer retires on half-pay

H'ALF-PAY, adjective Receiving or entitled to half-pay; as half-pay officer.

H'ALF-PENNY, noun hap'penny or ha'penny. A copper coin of the value of half a penny; also, the value of half a penny. It is used in the plural.

He cheats for half-pence.

[This coin is not current in America.]

H'ALF-PENNY, adjective Of the price or value of half a penny; as a half-penny loaf.

H'ALF-PENNY-WORTH, noun The value of a half-penny.

H'ALF-PIKE, noun A small pike carried by officers.

1. A small pike used in boarding ships.

H'ALF-PINT, noun The half of a pint, or fourth of a quart.

H'ALF-READ, adjective Superficially informed by reading.

H'ALF-SCHOLAR, noun One imperfectly learned.

Half-seas over, a low expression denoting half drunk.

H'ALF-SIGHTED, adjective Seeing imperfectly; having weak discernment.

H'ALF-SPHERE, noun Hemisphere.

H'ALF-STARVED, adjective Almost starved.

H'ALF-STRAINED, adjective Half-bred; imperfect.

H'ALF-SWORD, noun Within half the length of a sword; close fight.

H'ALF-WAY, adverb In the middle; at half the distance.

H'ALF-WAY, adjective Equally distant from the extremes; as a half-way house.

H'ALF-WIT, noun A foolish person; a dolt; a blockhead.

H'ALF-WITTED, adjective Weak in intellect; silly; foolish.