moiety
[moi-i-tee]
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.
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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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for moiety
share, component, element, affiliation, portion, part, fraction, half, pieceExamples from the Web for moiety
Historical Examples of moiety
How is it only a moiety of these bodies that is represented?
Leading Articles on Various SubjectsHugh Miller
He who gave her the money of which she e'en presented me a moiety.
Under the RoseFrederic Stewart Isham
Out of abundance he had given a moiety and because of it she had put her life into a yoke.
The Tyranny of WeaknessCharles Neville Buck
There was more than a moiety of sadness, constantly increasing its measure.
The Wild HuntressMayne Reid
It allowed Ralegh a moiety of the penalties accruing to the Crown.
Sir Walter RaleghWilliam Stebbing
moiety
noun plural -ties archaic
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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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
moiety
[moi′ĭ-tē]
n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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