half-length

[ haf-lengkth, -length, -lenth, hahf- ]

noun
  1. something that is only half a full length or height, especially a portrait that shows only the upper half of the body, including the hands.

adjective
  1. of half the complete length or height.

Origin of half-length

1
First recorded in 1690–1700

Words Nearby half-length

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use half-length in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for half-length

half-length

adjective
  1. (of a portrait) showing only the body from the waist up and including the hands

  2. of half the entire or original length

noun
  1. a half-length portrait

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