Origin of halt

1
1615–25; from the phrase make halt for German halt machen.See hold1

synonym study for halt

2. See stop.

Words nearby halt

Halstead-Reitan battery, Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery, Halsted, Halsted's operation, Halsted's suture, halt, halter, haltere, halting, Haltom City, Halton

Definition for halt (2 of 2)

halt2
[ hawlt ]
/ hɔlt /

verb (used without object)

to falter, as in speech, reasoning, etc.; be hesitant; stumble.
to be in doubt; waver between alternatives; vacillate.
Archaic. to be lame; walk lamely; limp.

adjective

Archaic. lame; limping.

noun

Archaic. lameness; a limp.
(used with a plural verb) lame people, especially severely lamed ones (usually preceded by the): the halt and the blind.

Origin of halt

2
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English healt; cognate with Old High German halz, Old Norse haltr, Gothic halts, akin to Latin clādēs “damage, loss”

OTHER WORDS FROM halt

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

Words related to halt

interruption, pause, standstill, letup, freeze, layoff, termination, cutoff, bar, suspend, end, arrest, terminate, stop, stem, adjourn, stall, cease, interrupt, curb

Example sentences from the Web for halt

British Dictionary definitions for halt (1 of 2)

halt1
/ (hɔːlt) /

noun

an interruption or end to activity, movement, or progress
mainly British a minor railway station, without permanent buildings
call a halt to put an end (to something); stop

noun, sentence substitute

a command to halt, esp as an order when marching

verb

to come or bring to a halt

Word Origin for halt

C17: from the phrase to make halt, translation of German halt machen, from halten to hold 1, stop

British Dictionary definitions for halt (2 of 2)

halt2
/ (hɔːlt) /

verb (intr)

(esp of logic or verse) to falter or be defective
to waver or be unsure
archaic to be lame

adjective

archaic
  1. lame
  2. (as collective noun; preceded by the)the halt

noun

archaic lameness

Word Origin for halt

Old English healt lame; related to Old Norse haltr, Old High German halz lame, Greek kólos maimed, Old Slavonic kladivo hammer
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

Idioms and Phrases with halt

halt

see call a halt; come to a halt; grind to a halt.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.