Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “half-year” come from?

half-year (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,...

half-year (English): The period of time equal to half a year

Definitions

  1. The period of time equal to half a year

Ancestry of “half-year”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhalfConsisting of a half; Consisting of some...
2Middle Englishhalfhalf
3Old Englishhealfside; half; partly
4Proto-Germanic*halb—
5Proto-Germanichalbazhalf
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kelH-to cut; to split, to separate
7Proto-Indo-European(s)kel-to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...

Words derived from “half-year”

  • half-yearly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel- →