Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “half-hourly” come from?

half-hourly (English) comes from English half-hour, from English half-, from Middle English half-, from Old English healf-, from Old English healf, from Proto-Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic halbaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH- — to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...

half-hourly (English): Once every half-hour, every 30 minutes; At...

Definitions

  1. Once every half-hour, every 30 minutes; At...

Ancestry of “half-hourly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishhalf-hourA period of time equal to thirty minutes, half an...
2Englishhalf-half or partial; not complete; Used before...
3Middle Englishhalf-—
4Old Englishhealf-—
5Old Englishhealfside; half; partly
6Proto-Germanic*halb—
7Proto-Germanichalbazhalf
8Proto-Indo-European(s)kelH-to cut; to split, to separate
9Proto-Indo-European(s)kel-to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel- →