moiety
Definitions
(formal) One of two roughly equal parts; a half.
（正式）一半；两个大致相等部分之一。
(chemistry) a distinct part of a molecule; (anthropology) one of two kinship divisions of a tribe.
（化学）（分子中的）部分基团；（人类学）（部落的）半偶族。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedA worn-down descendant of Latin medietas 'a middle / a half' (from medius). It passed through Old French as moitié and into English as moiety, where the spelling no longer looks like medi- at all. The 'middle' became 'a half' — the part you get when you divide down the middle.
Root medi still carries 48 more wordsWhy It Means This
A hidden member of the medi- family: through French erosion (medietas → moitié → moiety) the word lost all visible trace of its root. It shows what medius does when it means not 'the middle point' but 'half' — the share you get by splitting something down the middle. Rare and formal/technical today.
Common Collocations
- 1.tribal moiety部落胞族
- 2.chemical moiety化学基团
- 3.two moieties两个分子基团
Example Sentences
- 1.
Under the will, each son received a moiety of the estate.
- 2.
Chemists modified one moiety of the molecule.