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moiety

- 7 dictionary results

moi⋅e⋅ty

  [moi-i-tee]
Use moiety in a Sentence
–noun, plural -ties.
1. a half.
2. an indefinite portion, part, or share.
3. Anthropology. one of two units into which a tribe or community is divided on the basis of unilineal descent.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME moite < MF < L medietāt- (s. of medietās) the middle, equiv. to medi(us) mid + -etāt-, var., after vowels, of -itāt- -ity
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To moiety
moi·e·ty   (moi'ĭ-tē)   
n.   pl. moi·e·ties
  1. A half.
  2. A part, portion, or share.
  3. Anthropology Either of two kinship groups based on unilateral descent that together make up a tribe or society.

[Middle English moite, from Old French meitiet, moitie, from Late Latin medietās, from Latin, middle, from medius, middle; see medhyo- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Moiety

Moi"e*ty\, n.; pl. Moieties. [F. moiti['e], L. medietas, fr. medius middle, half. See Mid, a., and cf. Mediate, Mediety.]

1. One of two equal parts; a half; as, a moiety of an estate, of goods, or of profits; the moiety of a jury, or of a nation. --Shak.

The more beautiful moiety of his majesty's subject. --Addison.

2. An indefinite part; a small part. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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moiety 
1444, from O.Fr. meitiet, from L. medietas "half," from medius "middle."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: moi·e·ty
Pronunciation: 'moi-&-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
: half of something (as an estate) moiety> —compare ENTIRETY 2
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Main Entry: moi·ety
Pronunciation: 'moi-&t-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -eties
: one of the portions into whichsomething is divided moiety of the personality —British Journal of Delinquency> moieties —LionelWhitby>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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moiety moi·e·ty (moi'ĭ-tē)
n.
One of two or more parts into which something may be divided, such as the various parts of a vitamin or molecule.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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