<B>halberdier, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a soldier armed with a halberd. </DL>
<A NAME="halbert">
<B>halbert, </B>noun. =halberd.</DL>
<A NAME="halcyon">
<B>halcyon, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>calm; peaceful; happy. <BR> <I>Ex. The old man remembered the halcyon days of his youth. My heart is like a rainbow shell That paddles in a halcyon sea (Christina Rossetti).</I> (SYN) serene, tranquil. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with the halcyon, fabled as a bird supposed to breed in a nest on the sea. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>(Archaic.) a fabled bird supposed to breed at the winter solstice in a nest on the sea and calm the water, identified with a kingfisher. <BR> <I>Ex. There came the halcyon whom the sea obeys When she her nest upon the water lays (William Shenstone).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=kingfisher.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="halcyondays">
<B>halcyon days,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>fourteen days of calm weather, anciently believed to occur about the winter solstice when the halcyon or kingfisher was nesting. <BR> <I>Ex. Expect St. Martin's summer, halcyon days (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) days of tranquility or peace; quiet, happy period. </DL>
<A NAME="hale">
<B>hale</B> (1), adjective, <B>haler,</B> <B>halest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>strong and well; healthy. <BR> <I>Ex. His grandfather was still hale and hearty at eighty.</I> (SYN) robust, vigorous, hearty. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Scottish.) <DD><B> a. </B>free from injury; unhurt; sound. <DD><B> b. </B>whole; complete; entire. noun <B>haleness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="hale">
<B>hale</B> (2), verb, <B>haled,</B> <B>haling.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to force to go. <BR> <I>Ex. When he refused to obey the policeman, the man was haled into court.</I> (SYN) summon. <DD><B> 2. </B>to draw or pull by force; drag; tug. <BR> <I>Ex. Galling his kingly hands haling ropes (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> (Archaic.) to haul, pull, or tug. <BR> <I>Ex. A yoke of ... stolid oxen were patiently haling at the plough (Robert Louis Stevenson).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="haler">
<B>haler</B> (1), noun, pl. <B>-lers,</B> <B>-leru.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a copper coin of Czechoslovakia, worth 1/100 of a koruna; heller. </DL>
<A NAME="haler">
<B>haler</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) a person who hales or hauls. </DL>
<A NAME="half">
<B>half, </B>noun, pl. <B>halves,</B> adjective, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>one of two equal parts into which a thing is or may be divided. <BR> <I>Ex. A half of 4 is 2. Two halves make a whole.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>one of two nearly equal parts. <BR> <I>Ex. Which is the bigger half?</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>one of the two equal periods of active play in certain games. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Golf.) a score equal to that of one's opponent, on any hole or on a round. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Football.) = halfback. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>making half of; needing as much more to make a whole. <BR> <I>Ex. a half pound, a half barrel.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>not complete; being only part of. <BR> <I>Ex. A half truth is often no better than a lie.</I> (SYN) partial, imperfect, incomplete. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Bookbinding.) having only the back and corners bound in the material specified. <BR> <I>Ex. half morocco.</I> <DD><I>adv. </I> <B>1. </B>to a half of the full amount or degree. <BR> <I>Ex. half cooked, a glass half full of milk. This government cannot endure ... half slave and half free (Abraham Lincoln).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>not completely; partly. <BR> <I>Ex. She spoke half aloud.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>almost; nearly. <BR> <I>Ex. The beggar was half dead from hunger.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>by half,</B> </I>by a great deal; by far. <BR> <I>Ex. He is the better player by half.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>by halves.</B> </I>See under <B>halves.</B> <BR><I>expr. <B>half past</B> (or <B>after</B>), </I>(in stating the time of day) half an hour past the hour named. <BR> <I>Ex. The train arrives at half past seven.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>not half,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>a slight extent; a long way from. </I> <I>Ex. I am not half done with the housework. They were not half well provided to go away upon the spur (Thomas Stocker).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>not at all; the reverse of. <BR> <I>Ex. not half bad.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>(British Informal.) quite a lot; very much. <BR> <I>Ex. "Did you like the show?" "Not half!"</I> noun <B>halfness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="halfa">
<B>halfa, </B>noun. =alfa.</DL>
<A NAME="halfandhalf">
<B>half-and-half, </B>adjective, adverb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>half one thing and half another. <DD><B> 2. </B>not clearly one thing or the other. (SYN) indefinite. <DD><I>adv. </I> in two equal parts; in equal proportions. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>something that is half one thing and half another. <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S.) a mixture of milk and cream. <DD><B> 3. </B>(British.) a mixed drink of two alcoholic liquors, especially ale and porter. </DL>
<A NAME="halfback">
<B>halfback, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Football.) either of two players in the backfield who stand farther back than, and to the right and left of, the quarterback. <DD><B> 2. </B>(in Rugby, soccer, and football) a player who is stationed behind the forward line or scrum and in front of the fullback or fullbacks. </DL>
<A NAME="halfbaked">
<B>half-baked, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>not cooked enough. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal, Figurative.) <DD><B> a. </B>not fully worked out; incomplete. <BR> <I>Ex. The rebels' half-baked plans resulted in the failure of the revolt.</I> (SYN) undeveloped. <DD><B> b. </B>not experienced; showing poor judgment. <BR> <I>Ex. half-baked theorists.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Dialect.) silly; half-witted. </DL>
<A NAME="halfbinding">
<B>half binding,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a style of bookbinding in which one material, especially leather, is used for the back and the corners and another is used for the sides. </DL>
<A NAME="halfblood">
<B>half blood,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the relationship between persons who are related through one parent only. </DL>
<A NAME="halfblood">
<B>half-blood, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B><B>=half-breed.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>a person related to another through one parent only. </DL>
<A NAME="halfblooded">
<B>half-blooded, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having parents of different races. <DD><B> 2. </B>related through one parent only. <DD><B> 3. </B>(of animals) bornof one parent of blooded stock and one of poor stock. </DL>
<A NAME="halfboot">
<B>half boot,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a boot reaching about halfway to the knee. </DL>
<A NAME="halfbound">
<B>half-bound, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (of a book) bound in half binding. </DL>
<A NAME="halfbred">
<B>half-bred, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of mixed breed; mongrel. </DL>
<A NAME="halfbreed">
<B>half-breed, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a person whose parents are of different races, as the child of an American Indian and a white person; half-blood; half-caste. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>=half-blooded.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="halfbrother">
<B>half brother,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a brother related through one parent only. </DL>
<A NAME="halfcamp">
<B>half-camp, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a lean-to, used as a temporary shelter by pioneers in America. </DL>
<A NAME="halfcaste">
<B>half-caste, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a person whose parents are of different races, especially one of European and Asian parentage; Eurasian. <BR> <I>Ex. The child of an English father and a Hindu mother is a half-caste.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> of or of the status of such a person or persons. </DL>
<A NAME="halfcock">
<B>half cock,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a position of the hammer of a gun when it is pulled back halfway. At half cock, the trigger is locked and the gun cannot be fired. <BR><I>expr. <B>go off at half cock,</B> </I>(Informal.) to speak or act prematurely. <BR> <I>Ex. Don't go off at half cock and accept an offer you'll regret later.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="halfcock">
<B>halfcock, </B>verb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> to set (a gun) at half cock. <DD><I>adj. </I> (Informal.) half-cocked. </DL>
<A NAME="halfcocked">
<B>half-cocked, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(of a gun) at the position of half cock. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal, Figurative.) done or spoken without sufficient thought or preparation; fatuous or absurd. <BR> <I>Ex. ... the half-cocked proud logic of the uncertain--the language of people who use words as clumsy tools (Gareth L. Evans).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Slang.) half drunk. <BR><I>expr. <B>go off half-cocked,</B> </I>(U.S. Informal.) to speak or act without sufficient thought or preparation. <BR> <I>Ex. We aren't going off half-cocked and start shipping oil until we know what the whole picture is (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="halfcourt">
<B>half-court, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> half the court divided in various ball games by a line parallel with the side lines. </DL>
<A NAME="halfcrown">
<B>half crown,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a former British coin, worth two shillings and sixpence, an eighth of a pound. It was of silver and later of nickel and copper. </DL>
<A NAME="halfdime">
<B>half dime,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a former silver coin of the United States, worth five cents. It was issued from 1794 until 1873. </DL>
<A NAME="halfdollar">
<B>half dollar,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a coin of the United States and Canada, worth 50 cents. It was formerly of silver and now is of nickel and copper. <DD><B> 2. </B>the value of this coin. </DL>
<A NAME="halfdozen">
<B>half dozen,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a group of six. adj. <B>half-dozen.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="halfeagle">
<B>half eagle,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a former gold coin of the United States worth $5.00. </DL>
<A NAME="halfgainer">
<B>half gainer,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a dive in which the diver springs off the board facing forward, does a half somersault backwards, and enters the water headfirst, facing the board. </DL>
<A NAME="halfhearted">
<B>half-hearted, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> lacking courage, interest, or enthusiasm; not earnest. (SYN) indifferent, perfunctory, lukewarm, faint. adv. <B>half-heartedly.</B> noun <B>half-heartedness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="halfhitch">
<B>half hitch,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a knot formed by passing the end of a rope under and over its standing part and then inside the loop. </DL>
<A NAME="halfhose">
<B>half hose,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> stockings reaching about halfway to the knee; socks. </DL>
<A NAME="halfhour">
<B>half-hour, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>30 minutes. <DD><B> 2. </B>the halfway point in an hour. <DD><I>adj. </I> of a half-hour; lasting a half-hour. <BR> <I>Ex. a half-hour trip.</I> </DL>
