healf

== Old English == === Alternative forms === half, halb === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /xæ͜ɑlf/, [hæ͜ɑɫf] === Etymology 1 === From Proto-West Germanic *halbu, from Proto-Germanic *halbō. ==== Noun ==== healf f side c. 992, Ælfric, "Easter Sunday" late 9th century, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans half late 10th century, Ælfric, On the Seasons of the Year ===== Declension ===== Strong ō-stem: === Etymology 2 === From Proto-West Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic *halbaz. Cognate with Old Frisian half, Old Saxon half, Old Dutch *half, Old High German halb, Old Norse halfr, Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍃 (halbs). ==== Adjective ==== healf half c. 992, Ælfric, "Passion of the Same" c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Luke 19:8 late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History late 9th century, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans late 10th century, Ælfric, On the Seasons of the Year The Worcester Chronicle, year 892 ===== Usage notes ===== A certain number and a half was expressed with the ordinal of the next highest number, plus the word healf. Thus one and a half is ōþer healf (literally "second half"), two and a half is þridda healf ("third half"), twenty-four and a half is fīf and twēntigoþa healf ("twenty-fifth half"), and so forth. Additionally, the noun that "___ and a half" enumerates must be singular: 'six and a half pages' is seofoþa healf tramet, not *seofoþan healfe trametas. The one seeming exception is when "___ and a half" describes another number, as in þridde healf þūsend ċeacena ("two and a half thousand cakes"). Here "cakes" still has to be plural because "two and a half" describes the number of thousands, not the number of cakes. If the phrase was just "two and a half cakes," the noun would indeed be singular: þridde healf ċeace, not *þriddan healfa ċeacan. ===== Declension ===== ==== Adverb ==== healf half late 9th century, translation of Orosius' History Against the Pagans ==== Derived terms ==== healf- ==== Descendants ==== Middle English: halfEnglish: half (see there for further descendants)Scots: haufYola: halleef, halef, halluf