moiety

Meaning

Noun

• A half.
• A share or portion, especially a smaller share.
• Each descent group in a culture which is divided exactly into two descent groups.
• A specific segment of a molecule.

Related

Similar words

• half, mediety

Narrower meaning words

• submoiety

Origin

• Borrowed from Middle French moytié, from Old French meitié ("half") (modern French moitié ("half")), from Late Latin medietās ("centre, midpoint; half"), from Latin medius ("half; middle") + -tās (from Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts ("suffix forming nouns indicating a state of being")). Medius is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos ("middle"), possibly from *me-dʰi-, from *me. The word is a mediety.