halfwayadv.n.prep.adj.
/ˌhɑːfˈweɪ/, /ˈhɑːfweɪ/, U.S. /ˌhæfˈweɪ/, /ˈhæfˌweɪ/ A. adv.
1. In the middle of a period of time; at the midpoint of an action or process; midway. In later use esp. in halfway through.In early use frequently with noun or noun phrase as complement, as in halfway prime, halfway midmorrow, etc. Sometimes also in constructions following a preposition, as in till halfway prime, till halfway to prime, etc.
Π
a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 76 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 25 Ho scal leuen o mine godes, er halfuey to none.
c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 1492 Þe stiward made moche sorewe, Til hit were half wai midmorewe.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 52 Lo Depeford and it is half wey pryme.
c1436 Domesday Ipswich (BL Add. 25011) in T. Twiss Black Bk. Admiralty (1873) II. 103 (MED) No fysshe for to sellyn afore certayn tyme..that is to wetyn, til half weye to prime.
a1475 Sidrak & Bokkus (Lansd.) (1998) I. l. 5318 Men mowen see somtyme A dewe ligginge till halfwey prime.
1630 I. C. Handkercher for Parents Wet Eyes 3 He was Solidus Adolescens, A growne Man, arriued halfe way to the Solstice of his Age.
1697 J. Stevens tr. F. de Quevedo Fortune in her Wits 14 Upon the turn of the Hour he had gone halfway through his Jargon.
1762 J. Langhorne Solyman & Almena v. 41 I was heard half way through my story.
1831 Blackwood's Mag. Aug. 210/1 Little girls just halfway through their teens.
1886 W. Besant Children of Gibeon II. ii. vi. 46 The morning service was halfway through.
1903 P. G. Wodehouse Tales of St. Austin's 35 Half-way through the over I carted a half-volley into the pav.
1994 H. Thurston Early Astron. iii. 75 The instant halfway between the start and finish of the eclipse is the precise time of full moon.
2006 G. Malkani Londonstani xv. 178 He interrupts me halfway to say,—Nice garms, man, where'd u get em?
2. In or to the middle of the way or distance; at or to a point in space equidistant between two others. Also figurative and in figurative contexts: at or to a point between two states or conditions, or part of the way towards doing or achieving something.See also to go (also come) halfway at Phrases, to meet halfway at meet v. 3d.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > [adverb] > half-way or midway
half-wayc1405
midgate1511
middle way1569
midway1587
part-way1822
midgates1883
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 861/2 Halfe waye, au milieu du chemyn, or a my chemyn.
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour iii. xx. sig. evi As in rennynge, passynge the gole, is accounted but rasshenesse, so rennynge halfe waye is reproued for slownesse.
1567 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure II. xxix. f. 349 All rapt with pleasure, and half way out of his wits for ioy.
1598 Bp. J. Hall Virgidemiarum: 3 Last Bks. iv. iii. 25 Whiles like a tireling Iade he lags half-waye.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) i. i. 62 I-wis it is not halfe way to her heart. View more context for this quotation
c1696 M. Prior Love Disarmed 12 Her bodice half-way she unlac'd.
1717 tr. A. F. Frézier Voy. South-Sea 106 A little above half way up a high mountain.
1743 C. Perry View of Levant iii. 233 The City, which describes the Figure of a Crescent, winds half way round its Base.
1757 G. Shelvocke, Jr. Shelvocke's Voy. round World (ed. 2) vi. 198 Before I had got half way off.
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. x. 96 About half way home.
1812 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Cantos I & II ii. lxviii. 95 Combin'd marauders half-way barr'd egress.
1845 G. Bolton Nothing! 141 Instead of hating them, they went halfway, and only despised them.
1881 J. Ruskin Mornings in Florence 25 You may let your eye rest..on the glow of its glass, only mind the steps half way.
1901 Proc. Linn. Soc. New S. Wales 26 326 About half-way between Condobolin and Dandaloo it [sc. Acacia Oswaldi] is known by some as Gidgea.
1990 Austral. Financial Rev. (Nexis) 26 June 4 The scheme was about halfway towards its minimum target of $7-8 million.
2014 N.Y. Mag. 8 Sept. 45/2 Roughly halfway up Mann Gulch, the ground, previously gradual, suddenly sheers upward into a 76 percent slope.
3. Usually modifying an adjective or past participle: to the extent or amount of half; (more generally) to some extent or degree; partially. Cf. half adv. 1.
ΘΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > [adverb]
halfling?c1200
a-party1340
uncompletelyc1380
imperfectlyc1400
parcel1415
party1440
unfullyc1449
parcel-likea1475
partiallya1475
halflyc1480
a part1481
parta1500
parcelly gilt1509
diminutely1521
partly1523
partlings1564
portionally1617
incompletely1651
informedly1670
fragmentally1814
fragmentarily1856
part-way1954
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge Contents An half-way boundless Bulk.
1825 F. Place Diary Sept. in Affairs of Others (2007) 40 Mr Hobhouse was half way disposed to take up the subject of the Wool Laws.
1893 N. Amer. Practitioner Aug. 350 The logic..is only half-way foolish.
1926 J. Black You can't Win (1927) v. 60 She had cleaned up the room till it looked halfway decent.
1942 R.A.F. Jrnl. 16 May 12 There is a drill which must be followed if the voyage is going to be halfway comfortable for everybody.
1965 A. S. Byatt Shadow of Sun (1991) iv. 83 The suggestion, once planted, was difficult to uproot; how horrid, Anna thought, if it was even half-way true.
2016 N. Yoon Sun is also Star 110 The office is only halfway built.
B. n.
1. Chiefly with the. A point or position midway between two points in space or time; the midpoint; a halfway point or stopping place in a journey. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [noun] > middle or centre
middleeOE
mideOE
midwardOE
middleheada1325
pointc1330
midsa1382
meanc1390
middleward1431
midstc1450
centrea1500
centrya1535
navel1604
umbilic1607
meditullium1611
half-way1634
umbrila1636
amidst1664
eye1671
umbil1688
omphalos1845
mid-career1911
middle-middle1926
society > travel > aspects of travel > a journey > [noun] > break in a journey > stopping-place on a journey
gist?c1225
mansiona1382
baiting1477
station1578
mansion place1584
manzil1619
night stop1787
gite1798
outspan1821
halting-place1826
stopping-place1827
stepping-stone1849
waypoint1860
landing-place1861
stop-off1869
stop-over1881
siding1896
half-way1897
sit-down1898
pull-up1899
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. lxxviijv/2 Whan they thus retorned and departed they came to charram which is the half waye to nynyue.
1509 H. Watson tr. S. Brant Shyppe of Fooles (de Worde) lxxx. sig. S.vii Who that gothe vp a mountayne, to holde ye somet and abydeth in the halfe waye, it is grete pyte.
?1576 G. Gascoigne Spoyle of Antwerpe sig. A.viiv They had..begun one trenche for a Counterskarfe between al those streets & the Castle yearde: the which they perfected vnto the halfe way from S. Georges Churchyearde vnto the waters side by S. Michels.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 13 Cape of good Hope..being the halfe way into India.
c1665 L. Hutchinson Mem. Col. Hutchinson (1973) 20 In the halfe way betweene Owthorpe and Nottingham.
?1710 tr. P. Teixeira Trav. from India to Italy iv. 23 This they reckon the half way from Bazora to Mexat Aly.
1789 J. Byng Diary 3 July in Torrington Diaries (1935) II. 129 Hockcliffe—our half-way, looks cooly in a hot summer day, but must be woefully dirty in winter.
1819 A. Rees Cycl. XXII. at Manufacture of Cotton It proceeds..to beyond the half way, with the straps hanging slack.
1897 Daily News 23 Feb. 3/1 The door opens to a hospitable halfway.
1900–1 Trans. Inst. Mining Engineers 20 341 At the half-way a turn-up place is formed in the side of the road.
1932 N.Y. Times 30 June 29/3 The school gave a fine display but the heavier college eight kept its three-quarter length lead at the half-way to win.
1937 Manch. Guardian 11 Nov. 11/4 The step is described here as the half-way to martial law.
1999 Re: USTS Oceanside in rec.sport.triathlon (Usenet newsgroup) 25 May Except for a nice ascent you'll remember at the halfway, [the bike ride] is mostly flat, with some rolling.
2. Sport (esp. Association Football and Rugby). The halfway line on a sports field or pitch. Cf. halfway line n. at Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > [noun] > ground > parts of
touchline1863
penalty line1929
half-way1960
in play1997
1880 Scotsman 15 Nov. 6/7 During the first period Dow ran from about the half-way, and grounded the ball right between the posts.
1960 V. Jenkins Lions Down Under 202 New Zealand brought the ball back to half-way.
1990 Guardian 6 Oct. 18/4 Gareth..had covered right back from the halfway to our own line.
2021 Birmingham Mail (Nexis) 3 Oct. McGinn, who enjoyed a good battle with Skipp, was soon dispossessed on halfway before Hojbjerg scored.
C. prep.
Halfway up, down, along, through, etc.; at or to the midpoint of. Now somewhat rare (chiefly U.S. in later use).For earlier use of the adverb with noun or noun phrase as complement, see, for example, quot. c1330 at sense A. 1, and the note at that sense.
ΚΠ
1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. xi. xxiv. f. 341 If ye finely cut not thorough but as it were halfe way the three lines LA, NMGF, and KHED, & so folde it accordingly.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 488 A cloth..which reacheth halfe way the thigh.
1658 J. Evelyn tr. N. de Bonnefons French Gardiner 179 That season past bury them in ground half way the stalk, ranging them so neer as they may touch each other.
1709 I. Watts Horæ Lyricæ (ed. 2) i. 117 Faint Devotion panting lies Half way th' Ethereal Hill.
1781 M. D. Bland Let. 30 Mar. in Virginia Mag. Hist. & Biogr. (1935) 43 44 They forced us about half way the passage but I was all most suffocated.
1856 Rep. Supreme Court of Appeals Virginia 12 720 Win did not stop, but rushed on the prisoner with his gun raised in both hands, grasped about half way the barrel.
1894 Southeastern Reporter 19 1021/1 Just as I got about half way the bridge, I discovered the hole.
2019 @heatherlime 10 June in twitter.com (accessed 18 June 2019) Good Omens is becoming one of my favorite shows ever! Halfway the season now.
D. adj.
1.
a. That is midway between two points in space or time; situated in the middle, intermediate. Now usually designating an intermediate point in space or time, as in halfway mark, halfway point, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > condition of being mean or average > [adjective]
evenc1300
mean1340
middlingc1485
intermediate1665
half-way1694
middle1699
medium1764
average1770
median1912
middle-range1924
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [adjective] > situated in the centre or middle > middle of
mideOE
middleeOE
midwardeOE
half-way1694
midmost1807
1644 R. Boothby True Declar. Intollerable Wrongs 10 They so earnestly did presse me with recounting Geooge Pages slow moving, usually drinking hard, or to be drunk at the halfe-way Tree (a baiting place).
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 511. ¶3 He was resting with it upon an half-way Bridge.
1758 S. Thompson Diary (1896) 8 I marched up to ye Lake with 10 men, and came back to the Halfway Brook, and right back to ye Lake again.
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. xvi. 195 My aim was to reach the halfway tent.
1934 L. Charteris Saint Intervenes (1950) viii. 105 There was a half-way refuelling base to be established somewhere in France.
1943 E. Blyton Summer Term at St Clare's (1990) xiv. 99 The term went on, passed the half-way mark, and slipped into full summer.
2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 21 Jan. b12/1 The race to the scudetto is on in Italy at the halfway point of the Serie A season.
b. In figurative contexts, indicating that the state, identity, action, etc., denoted by the noun modified is only partially complete or true, or is limited or compromised in some way. In early use sometimes spec. with reference to a person with divided loyalties or a lack of commitment to a cause.Cf. halfway house n. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > [adjective]
halfa1300
brokec1380
incompletec1380
imperfecta1398
infecta1398
unperfecta1398
uncompletec1430
unfullc1450
partile1576
unentire?1605
half-faced1607
fragmentary1612
broken1634
partiary1654
fractional1675
fractionarya1690
half-way1694
fragmentala1763
half-and-half1796
fragmentitious1827
incompleted1836
sectional1848
mincemeaty1870
1652 T. Elsliot True Mariner Ep. Ded. sig. A2v The judgement determined, shall be suspended, as in Ahabs case..upon Ahabs half-way-humiliation.
?1692 Ad Populum Phaleræ 8 You're then Phanatick, Neuter, Half-way-man, Or mungrel Latitudinarian.
1791 H. More Estimate Relig. Fashionable World 231 Some half-way state, something between paganism and christianity.
1825 Relig. Intelligencer 26 Nov. 401/1 Now, Messrs. Editors, of this half way Saviour, I find nothing in scripture.
1836 S. S. Bates Addr. Monson Acad. Temperance Soc. 8 Many of the members of that society began to think that this half way work would not answer—that we were doing business too superficially.
1855 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Philip II of Spain I. ii. xi. 261 It fared with this compromise..as with most..half-way measures.
1909 Daily Chron. 31 Dec. 1/5 I am no halfway burglar, and I would kill a man for 2½d.
1966 Guardian 10 Sept. 14/8 It seems clear that a compromise, half-way solution had equally been ruled out by Government.
2001 New Internationalist Nov. 16/1 More than three million Afghanis gave up their homeland for the halfway existence of a refugee.
2. Designating a facility or service for helping former prisoners, psychiatric patients, or others leaving a prolonged period of institutional confinement to adjust to life in general society.Frequently (and recorded earliest) in halfway house n. 2.
Π
1923 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 11 Aug. 231/2 If the strain of life in the community was too great for the defective there must be some means of recalling him into a hostel or half-way house.
1949 Social Work Year Bk. (Russell Sage Found.) (ed. 10) 642/1 Establishment of rehabilitation centers for patients as half-way homes between mental hospital life and life outside mental institutions.
1962 Guardian 19 Nov. 16/1 These buildings are used by the LCC as ‘halfway housing’ for homeless families.
1972 Washington Post 19 Feb. c2/5 The city has maintained halfway facilities for male alcoholics for nearly three years.
1996 Independent (Nexis) 26 Oct. 12 Parole and half-way services have been reduced in favour of incarceration.
Phrases
to go (also come) halfway: to make efforts to reach a compromise or agreement; to make concessions; to respond in kind to the efforts or advances of another. Cf. to meet halfway at meet v. 3d.
ΘΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > compromise > [verb (intransitive)]
to give and take1519
compoundc1547
to meet halfway1638
compromise1656
palliate1672
moderate1713
to split the difference1713
the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > be friendly [verb (intransitive)] > become friendly > respond to friendly advances
to meet halfway1706
1879 Roget's Thesaurus (new ed.) 194 Go half way, compromise, make a compromise.
1890 R. G. Pearson Truth Appl. 150 I would forgive him if he would come half way.
1921 Christian Advocate 20 Apr. 527/1 I'd be glad to make friends, only I simply don't know how to go halfway, you see.
1988 Associated Press (Nexis) 4 Aug. The union doesn't want to accept this [proposal]—doesn't want to go halfway—so we're prepared for the strike.
2022 @Ms_Jera 16 Mar. in twitter.com (accessed 22 June 2022) I have to stop overextending myself for people that will never even try to go halfway for me.
Compounds
halfway line n. Sport (esp. Association Football and Rugby) a line across a sports field or pitch, midway between the ends or goals, that divides the playing area into two halves; cf. sense B. 2.Centerline is the usual term in North American sports: see centreline n. 1b(b).
ΘΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > parts of playing area
outfield1851
goal line1862
centreline1863
goalside1865
territory1867
goalmouth1871
box1881
half1888
goal area1902
penalty area1905
orchard1913
penalty box1914
area1925
D1927
keyhole1936
penalty spot1937
six-yard box1954
1867 Bell's Life in London 16 Nov. 7/6 The [Harrow] School..occasionally made some brilliant rushes, though they could but seldom succeed in getting the ball beyond the half-way line.
1912 E. H. Green & E. E. White Hockey 195 I may sometimes move a few yards over the half-way line, but never right up to the other ‘25’, as some fussy umpires do.
2007 Rugby World Mar. 97/2 We..worked hard on our set-pieces and practised what we'd do if we were in possession on the halfway line.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2022).
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adv.n.prep.adj.a1275