half-length

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

/ ˈhæfˌlɛŋkθ, -ˌlɛŋθ, -ˌlɛnθ, ˈhɑf- /

noun

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

of half the complete length or height.

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Origin of half-length

First recorded in 1690–1700

Words nearby half-length

half-integral, half-jack, half-joking, half-lap joint, half-leather, half-length, half-life, half-light, half-line, half-liter, half-long

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for half-length

On one side is the Emperor's half-length portrait, on the reverse is the image of Hercules stifling the giant Antæus in his arms.
Harper's Round Table, May 7, 1895|Various
Mr. Peel gave fifteen thousand reichsthalers for this picture—a half-length.
Tour in England, Ireland, and France, in the years 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1829.|Hermann Pckler-Muskau
More than that, there are four half-length figures of prophets, two above and two below the larger pictures.
Historic Inventions|Rupert S. Holland
Pausing in her work, the girl looked down the half-length of the greenhouse as a hint for him to advance.
The Side Of The Angels|Basil King

The half-length portrait, formerly known at Modena as that of Correggio's Physician, belongs to the same doubtful period.
The life and writings of Henry Fuseli, Volume III (of 3)|Henry Fuseli

British Dictionary definitions for half-length

half-length

adjective

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

of half the entire or original length

noun

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