moiety
[ moi-i-tee ]
/ ˈmɔɪ ɪ ti /
noun, plural moi·e·ties.
a half.
an indefinite portion, part, or share.
Anthropology. one of two units into which a tribe or community is divided on the basis of unilineal descent.
Nearby words
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
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Examples from the Web for moiety
moiety
/ (ˈmɔɪɪtɪ) /
noun plural -ties archaic
a half
one of two parts or divisions of something
Word Origin for moiety
C15: from Old French moitié, from Latin mediētās middle, from medius
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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moiety
"an equal half," mid-15c., from Old French moite, earlier meitiet (12c., Modern French moitié) "half; middle; portion, piece," from Latin meditatem (nominative medietas) "half," originally "middle point," from medius "middle" (see medial (adj.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
moiety
[ moi′ĭ-tē ]
n.
One of two or more parts into which something may be divided, such as the various parts of a vitamin or molecule.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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