different between half vs foolscap
half
English
Alternative forms
- 'arf, ha'f
Etymology
From Middle English half, halfe from Old English healf (“half”); as a noun, 'half', 'side', 'part', from Proto-West Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic *halbaz;
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /h??f/
- Rhymes: -??f
- (General Australian, General New Zealand, Scotland) IPA(key): /h??f/
- (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /hæf/
- Rhymes: -æf
- (Ireland, Wales) IPA(key): /haf/, /häf/
Adjective
half (not comparable)
- Consisting of a half (½, 50%).
- Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect.
- Assumed from thence a half-consent.
- (of a sibling) Having one parent (rather than two) in common.
- (rare, of a relative other than a sibling) Related through one common grandparent or ancestor rather than two.
Usage notes
- (consisting of a moiety, or half): The adjective and noun are often united to form a compound.
Synonyms
- (consisting of a moiety, or half): hemi-, semi-, demi-
Derived terms
See also those listed at Category:English words prefixed with half-.
Descendants
- ? Fiji Hindi: haafaa
- ? Hawaiian: hapa
- ? English: hapa
- ? Japanese: ??? (h?fu)
- ? English: hafu
- ? Maori: h?whe
- ? Pitjantjatjara: aapa
Translations
Adverb
half (not comparable)
- In two equal parts or to an equal degree.
- In some part approximating a half.
- Partially; imperfectly.
- Half loth and half consenting.
- Their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod.
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
half (plural halves)
- One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.
- ?, Alfred Tennyson, The Gardener's Daughter; or, The Pictures
- A friendship so complete Portion'd in halves between us
- (sports) One of the two opposite parts of the playing field of various sports, in which each starts the game.
- ?, Alfred Tennyson, The Gardener's Daughter; or, The Pictures
- Half of a standard measure; frequently used (Britain) for half a pint of beer or cider.
- 1968 (Britain), 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 (Britain), James Herriot, All Things Bright and Beautiful, St. Martin's Press, ?ISBN,
- I accepted a half of bitter from him.
- 2006 (Britain), 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."
- 1968 (Britain), John Braine, The Crying Game, Houghton Mifflin, page 11,
- (preceded by “a” or a number) The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.
- (obsolete) Part; side; behalf.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Wyclif to this entry?)
- The four halves of the house
- Any of the three terms at Eton College, for Michaelmas, Lent, and summer.
- (slang) A half sibling.
- (Britain, archaic) A child ticket.
Synonyms
- (fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2): ½
Derived terms
Translations
Verb
half (third-person singular simple present halves, present participle halving, simple past and past participle halved)
- (transitive, obsolete) To halve.
Synonyms
- dimidiate; see also Thesaurus:bisect
Translations
Preposition
half
- (Britain, Ireland) half past; A half-hour (30 minutes) after the last hour; i.e. 9.30="half (past) nine". (Not to be confused with #2)
- (in some languages but rarely in English) A half-hour to (preceding) the next hour; i.e. 6.30="half (to) seven"
Interjection
half
- (theater) A call reminding performers that the performance will begin in thirty minutes.
References
- half in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch half, from Old Dutch *half, from Proto-West Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic *halbaz.
Cognate with English half, German halb, West Frisian heal, Danish halv.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /??lf/
- Hyphenation: half
- Rhymes: -?lf
Adjective
half (not comparable)
- half
- (with numbers) half before the next whole
- half tien
- half past nine (i.e. half of the tenth hour)
- anderhalf
- one and a half (half before two, with ander originally meaning second)
- half tien
- (with months) the middle of that month
- half maart
- mid-March
- half maart
Inflection
Derived terms
German
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /half/
Verb
half
- first/third-person singular preterite of helfen
Middle English
Etymology
From Old English healf, half, from Proto-West Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic *halbaz.
Noun
half (plural halves or halfes or halven)
- half
Alternative forms
- halfe, halph, alf, alfe, hælf, healf, healfe, elf, haf, hafe, halve, alve, hælve, helve
Adjective
half
- half
Alternative forms
- healf (early)
Adverb
half
- half
Alternative forms
- elf
Descendants
- English: half (see there for further descendants)
- Scots: hauf
- Yola: halleef, halluf
References
- “half, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- “half, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- “half, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
half From the web:
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foolscap
English
Etymology
Probably from a watermark of a fool's cap.
Pronunciation
- (UK, US) IPA(key): /?fu?l.skæp/, /?fu?lz.kæp/
- (Canada) IPA(key): /?f?l.skæp/, /?fo?l.skæp/
Noun
foolscap (plural foolscaps)
- Alternative form of fool's cap
- (strictly) Writing paper sheets measuring 13.25 x 16.5 inches
- (more usually) Such a sheet folded or cut in half, thus approximately 8 x 13.25 inches.
- At twilight in the summer there is never anybody to fear—man, woman, or cat—in the chambers and at that hour the mice come out. They do not eat parchment or foolscap or red tape, but they eat the luncheon crumbs.
- Printing paper measuring 13.5 inches x 17 inches.
Derived terms
- double foolscap
Translations
See also
- legal
- quarto
References
- Michael Quinion (2004) , “Foolscap”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, ?ISBN
- (A paper sizes): 2A0 A0 A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10
foolscap From the web:
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- foolscap meaning
- what's foolscap in french
- what is foolscap paper
- what is foolscap size
- what is foolscap sheet
- what is foolscap size writing paper
- what is foolscap filing
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