moiety
Americannoun
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a half.
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an indefinite portion, part, or share.
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Anthropology. one of two units into which a tribe or community is divided on the basis of unilineal descent.
noun
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a half
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one of two parts or divisions of something
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of moiety
1400–50; late Middle English moite < Middle French < Latin medietāt- (stem of medietās ) the middle, equivalent to medi ( us ) mid + -etāt-, variant, after vowels, of -itāt- -ity
Explanation
A moiety is one of two equal parts. If you cut a sandwich in half, you can have one moiety for lunch and give the other moiety to a pigeon. One moiety plus one moiety equals a whole. Moiety is a synonym for the noun half; a semicircle or your better half can be referred to as a moiety. In anthropology, moiety is used to describe one of two distinct groups of a tribe. Moiety can also mean "a part" in general, as Shakespeare used it in Antony and Cleopatra: "The death of Antony / Is not a single doom; in the name lay / A moiety of the world."
Vocabulary lists containing moiety
100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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"The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Others included a carboxylic acid moiety or a methyl ester side chain.
From Science Daily • May 27, 2026
Garfield George, head of Deishú Hít, or the End of the Beaver Trail House, Raven moiety, Deisheetaan clan of Angoon, in Alaska, was one of the Tlingit visitors at that moment of discovery.
From New York Times • May 5, 2022
The first category, also known as moiety acts, gives compensation to those providing information to prosecutors but leaves control of litigation in the hands of the government.
From Slate • Feb. 10, 2022
Alkenes are much more reactive than alkanes because the moiety is a reactive functional group.
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
Fugacious, tourbillion, moiety, repugn, sacrosanct, censure, morass, El Dorado, and turpitude.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
