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half blood

1 American  

noun

  1. the relation between persons having only one common parent.


half-blood 2 American  
[haf-bluhd, hahf-] / ˈhæfˌblʌd, ˈhɑf- /

noun

  1. Disparaging and Offensive. half-breed.

  2. a person who has only one parent in common with another person, as a half sister or half brother.


half-blood British  

noun

    1. the relationship between individuals having only one parent in common

    2. an individual having such a relationship

  1. a less common name for a half-breed

  2. a half-blooded domestic animal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of half blood1

First recorded in 1545–55

Origin of half-blood2

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English half blod


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.

See Examples For:

People speak generally of full blood, half blood, etc., and imagine that the hereditary transmission of certain characters "lies in the blood."

From The Evolution of Man — Volume 2 by Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel

In American Law, blood includes both half blood, and whole blood.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster

Prohibited Degrees.—Marriage between ascendants and descendants, between brothers and sisters of the whole or half blood, between uncle and niece, or aunt and nephew, and between first cousins, is forbidden.

From Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World by Hyacinthe Ringrose

Marriage is forbidden between all descendants and ascendants, legitimate or otherwise, and in the collateral line marriages are forbidden between brothers and sisters of the whole or half blood, legitimate or illegitimate.

From Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World by Hyacinthe Ringrose

Impediments.—Marriage is prohibited between persons nearer of kin than first cousins of the whole or half blood.

From Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World by Hyacinthe Ringrose

That subtext is brought home by a subplot involving a gay doctor who secretly performs abortions and operations to help the half-blood children of humans and fae pass as human.

From The Verge ● Aug. 15, 2019

Margaret Piraino, 24, dressed as Nymphadora Tonks, a half-blood witch, complete with rainbow hair and Potter-themed jewelry, attended the BookCourt party with her girlfriend, Laurel Detkin, a fellow Potter enthusiast.

From New York Times ● Jul. 31, 2016

In addition to replacing the N-word, Gribben changes the villain in "Tom Sawyer" from "Injun Joe" to "Indian Joe" and "half-breed" becomes "half-blood."

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2011

As the giant got closer, I could see three human-size envoys with him: a half-blood in armor, an empousa demon with a black dress and flaming hair, and a tall man in a tuxedo.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

The older he got, the longer he survived as a half-blood, the more his friends looked up to him.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

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