half-time

See also: halftime, and half time

English

Alternative forms

• halftime, half time

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

half-time (countable and uncountable, plural half-times)

1. (sports) The interval between the two halves of a sports match.

   Let's get some pizza at half-time.

2. (sometimes attributive) Half or approximately half the number of hours usually worked in a specified period.

   I'm following a half-time schedule this month.

3. (music) A tempo in which the rhythm is emphasized so that it seems to have half as many metric divisions (e.g. emphasizing the start of every other bar rather than every bar).
4. (physics) The time taken for a physical quantity to halve the difference between its present value and its final value.

Coordinate terms

• double time
• full time
• part time
• quarter time
• triple time

 

Derived terms

• half-timer

Translations

sports: interval between halves

• Afrikaans: rustyd
• Belarusian: тайм m (tajm)
• Bulgarian: полувре́ме n (poluvréme)
• Catalan: mitja part (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 半場／半场 (zh) (bàncháng)

• Dutch: rust (nl) m or f
• Finnish: tauko (fi), väliaika (fi), puoliaika (fi)
• French: half-time m, mi-temps (fr) f
• German: Halbzeitpause (de) f, Pause (de) f, Halbzeit (de) f (also means either of the two halves)
• Hungarian: félidő (hu)
• Icelandic: hálfleikur m
• Italian: intervallo (it) m
• Japanese: ハーフタイム (hāfutaimu)
• Macedonian: полувреме n (poluvreme)
• Maori: weheruatanga
• Norwegian: pause (no) m
• Portuguese: meio-tempo m
• Romanian: pauză (ro) f
• Russian: тайм (ru) m (tajm)
• Slovak: polčas m
• Spanish: entretiempo m, descanso (es) m
• Swedish: halvtid (sv) c
• Ukrainian: тайм m (tajm)

time to halve the difference between present value and final value

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 半衰期 (zh) (bànshuāiqī)

• Finnish: puoliintumisaika (fi)
• Russian: полови́на вре́мени f (polovína vrémeni)
• Slovak: polčas m

Adjective

half-time (not comparable)

1. Pertaining to or characterized by half the usual duration.
   • 1884, The Ohio Educational Monthly, page 544:

     The remedy proposed is half-time schools. The teachers are to be engaged for a school year's service, but the pupils belonging to each school are to be divided into two sections. Each section is to spend half the time in school and the remainder at home.

   • 1979, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Education and Labor. Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and Related Measures: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, First Session ...., page 162:

     The remaining federal and State programs provide aid to part-time students only if attendance is half-time or more (at least six credit-hours).

Adverb

half-time (not comparable)

1. In a half time manner.

   I'm working half-time this month (two and a half days per week) before my maternity leave.