Where does “half-time” come from?
half-time (English) comes from English half, from Middle English half, from Old English healf, from Proto-Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic halbaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel- — to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...
Ancestry of “half-time”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | half | Consisting of a half; Consisting of some... |
| 2 | Middle English | half | half |
| 3 | Old English | healf | side; half; partly |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *halb | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | halbaz | half |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |