halb German · revision 35329

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 765, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *halbaz}}

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''halb''' (strong nominative masculine singular halber, not comparable)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|halp]], [[inh|goh|halb]], [[inh|gem-pro|*halbaz|t=half]].^(Kluge 2011|387)^(Wiktionary)^(Kroonen 2013) The same word is [[got|𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍃|tr=halbs]], [[non|hálfr]], [[ang|healf]], [[ofs|half]] and [[osx|half]], continued in [[nl|half]], [[en|half]], [[sv|halv]] and [[is|hálfur]].^(Kluge 2011|387)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Pfeifer 1993) A feminine noun beside it, [[goh|halba]], [[gmh|halbe]], meant “side” throughout Germanic; its case forms became the adverbs and prepositions in -halb, -halben and [[halber]], as in [[deshalb]] and [[innerhalb]].^(Kluge 2011|387)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ Its further origin is unclear.^(Kluge 2011|387)^(Kroonen 2013) Kluge mentions [[lt|šalis|alt=šalìs|t=side, region]] and [[lv|sala|t=half of a slaughtered pig]], and perhaps [[sa|कल्पयति|tr=kalpáyati|t=assigns, distributes]].^(Kluge 2011|387) Pfeifer and Duden assume an original sense “cut, split” and derive it from an extension in -p- of [[ine-pro|*(s)kel-|t=to cut]], with [[la|scalpō|t=to scratch, carve]], [[la|sculpō|t=to carve]] and [[grc|σκόλοψ|tr=skólops|t=stake]];^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) Orel also thinks a link with the Sanskrit verb probable,^(Orel 2003) but Kroonen finds the comparisons with Sanskrit and Lithuanian unconvincing in meaning.^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ The way of counting in [[anderthalb]] “one and a half”, literally “the second (only) half”, is already Germanic, with parallels in Old English and Old Norse.^(Kluge 2011|387)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''halb'' is first recorded in glosses of about 765, then in Notker, Otfrid and the ''Physiologus'', meaning “half”;^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|138) ''halbo teil'' meant “a half”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|138) Old High German ''anderhalb'' “one and a half” is recorded in the 8th century and ''thrittohalb'' “two and a half” in the 9th.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Besides its exact sense, the adjective came to mean “incomplete, imperfect”, and as an adverb, often doubled (''halb …, halb …'', ''halb und halb''), “partly, almost”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(FWB) Opposed to ''ganz'' and ''voll'' it gave phrases like ''die halbe Wahrheit''; in telling the time ''halb elf'' means half past ten, unlike English and French usage.^(Paul 2002) The Grimms note the frozen form ''halber'', used in speech even where no masculine noun follows.^(DWB|10, 184) As a measure of drink it is used as a noun: northern ''ein Halber'', Bavarian ''eine Halbe''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ The verb [[halbieren]] arose in the 13th century as a variant of Middle High German ''halben'' with a French-looking ending, used at first of clothes made of two colours after French fashion, and became a term of mathematics in the 15th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) Several compounds are loan translations: ''Halbgott'' (Old High German ''halbgot'') from Latin ''semideus'', ''Halbinsel'' (17th century) from ''paeninsula'', ''Halbwelt'' (19th century) from French ''demi-monde'', ''halbmast'' (about 1870) from English ''half-mast'' and ''Halbzeit'' (about 1900) from English ''half-time''.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 765 – Old High German ''halb'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 8th century – ''anderhalb'' “one and a half” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 10th century – ''halb'' is used as a preposition “because of”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 13th century – The verb ''halbieren'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – ''Halbinsel'' is coined after Latin ''paeninsula''.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1855 – Alexandre Dumas's play ''Le Demi-Monde'' gives German ''Halbwelt''.^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)

+ * c. 1870 – ''halbmast'' appears.^(Paul 2002)

+ * c. 1900 – ''Halbzeit'' and ''Halbstarker'' appear.^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|half]], making up one of two equal parts: ''eine halbe Stunde'', ''ein halbes Brot''; in telling the time, half an hour before the hour named: ''halb drei'' “half past two”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|incomplete]], partial, done only in part: ''Er hat nur halbe Arbeit geleistet.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Reduced, weakened, at less than full strength: ''mit halber Kraft''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Half, partly: ''Die Tür stand halb offen.'' ''halb …, halb …'': partly …, partly ….^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Almost, nearly: ''Ich bin vor Schreck halb gestorben.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Hälfte]]

+ * [[halbieren]]

+ * [[anderthalb]]

+ * [[halber]]

+ * [[Halbinsel]]

+ * [[Halbgott]]

+ * [[halbmast]]

+ * [[Halbzeit]]

+ * [[innerhalb]]

+ * [[deshalb]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Schild]]

+ * [[en|half]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Halbe-halbe machen'' (colloquial) is to share gains or losses equally.^(Duden GWDS 1999) Old High German also had a masculine ''halb'' “handle, haft”, recorded in glosses from the early 9th century, which survives as ''Helb''.^(Köbler AHD)^(AWB)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}