halfとは

意味・読み方・使い方

別の表記

• 'arf, ha'f

語源

From Middle English half, halfe from 古期英語 healf (“half”); as a noun, 'half', 'side', 'part', from Proto-West Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic *halbaz;

発音

• (Received 発音) IPA^(key): /hɑːf/

韻: -ɑːf

• (General Australian, New Zealand, Scotland) IPA^(key): /hɐːf/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /hæf/

  韻: -æf

  • (Ireland, Wales) IPA^(key): /haf/, /häf/

名詞

half (複数形 halves)

1. One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.

   I ate the slightly smaller half of the apple.

   You don't know the half of it.

   Of the passengers on the plane, half were English.

   The cake was delicious: half was vanilla and half was chocolate.

   • 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], H[enry] Lawes, editor, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, OCLC 228715864; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, OCLC 1113942837:

     Not half his riches known, and yet despised.

   • ?, Alfred Tennyson, The Gardener's Daughter; or, The Pictures

     A friendship so complete Portion'd in halves between us

2. (sports) One of the two opposite parts of the playing field of various sports, in which each starts the game.
   • 2011 September 16, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand 83-7 Japan”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     However, the hosts hit back and hit back hard, first replacement hooker Andrew Hore sliding over, then Williams careering out of his own half and leaving several defenders for dead before flipping the ball to Nonu to finish off a scintillating move.

3. Half of a standard measure, chiefly: (Britain) half a pint of beer or cider.
   • 1968, John Braine, The Crying Game, Houghton Mifflin, page 11,

     He came back with a pint of Guinness for me and a half of bitter for Wendy.

   • 1974, James Herriot, All Things Bright and Beautiful, St. Martin's Press, →ISBN,

     I accepted a half of bitter from him.

   • 2006, Bill Appleton, Wide Boy, Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie, →ISBN, page 168,

     I went to the bar where I bought a pint and two large brandies. ... "Not brandy," she replied, "but I could use a long drink - maybe a half of lager."

4. (preceded by “a” または a number) The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.

   Synonym: ½

   Three-quarters minus a quarter is a half.

5. Any of the three terms at Eton College, for Michaelmas, Lent, and summer.
6. (slang) A half sibling.
   • 2016, Robert M. Herzog, A World Between:

     So for Richard and Barbara, Jeff and Kari, the impossibly varied collection of steps and halves that is another legacy of my father.

7. (UK, archaic) A child ticket.

派生語

形容詞

half (not comparable)

1. Consisting of a half (½, 50%).

   Synonyms: semi-, hemi-, demi-

   a half kilo

   a half hour

   a half dollar

2. Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect.

   a half truth

   • 1847, Alfred Tennyson, “(please specify the page number, または |part=Prologue, I to VII, または conclusion)”, in The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], OCLC 2024748:

     Assumed from thence a half-consent.

3. (of a sibling) Having one parent (rather than two) in common.

   A half brother or half sister

4. (of a relative other than a sibling) Related through one common grandparent or ancestor rather than two.

   A half uncle or half aunt or half cousin

使用する際の注意点

• (consisting of a half): The adjective and noun are often united to form a compound, half-hour.

派生語

See also those listed at Category:English words prefixed with half-.

派生した語

• → Fiji Hindi: haafaa
• → Hawaiian: hapa
  • → English: hapa
• → Japanese: ハーフ (hāfu)
  • → English: hafu
• → Maori: hāwhe
• → Pitjantjatjara: aapa

副詞

half (not comparable)

1. In two equal parts or to an equal degree.
2. In some part approximating a half.
3. Partially; imperfectly.

   half-colored

   half done

   half persuaded

   half conscious

   He does sometimes half wish to change his life, but it is too difficult.

   • 1690, [John] Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: […], London: […] Jo. Hindmarsh, […], OCLC 1154883115, (please specify the page number):

     Half loth and half consenting.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Nehemiah 13:24:

     Their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod.

4. Practically, nearly.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], part 1, 2nd edition, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, OCLC 932920499; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene v:

     To be a King, is halfe to bee a God.

同意語

• (partially; imperfectly): halfly (廃れた用法)

派生語

使用する際の注意点

• (approximating a half): The phrase half again expresses an amount in addition to the amount being compared to. E.g., half as many people refers to 50% of the original number, while half again as many people refers to 150% of the original number.

参考

• not half

動詞

half (三人称単数 現在形 halves, 現在分詞 halving, 過去形および過去分詞形 halved)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To halve.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:bisect

前置詞

half

1. (UK, Ireland) Half past; a half-hour (30 minutes) after the last hour.

   Synonym: (North America, Australia) half past

   The time is 9:30; it is half nine.

2. (Discuss⁽⁺⁾ this sense) (rare, see usage notes) A half-hour to (preceding) the next hour.

   In some countries, "half seven" means 6:30.

使用する際の注意点

In English, the first sense (half past) is the only sense in current use. The second sense (half-hour before) is almost exclusively used in reference to other cultural or linguistic backgrounds where a similar usage exists.

間投詞

half

1. (theater) A call reminding performers that the performance will begin in thirty minutes.

参照

• “half” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

接頭辞

half-

1. half or partial; not complete
2. Used before brother, sister, uncle, aunt, and so forth, to indicate that the person being identified is related only through one parent, grandparent, and so forth, rather than two.

派生語

参考

• quarter- (prefix for a fourth part)