Half vs Nearly - What's the difference?
half | nearly |
Consisting of a moiety, or half (1/2, 50%).
Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect.
* :
(of a sibling) Having one parent (rather than two) in common.
Related through one common grandparent or ancestor rather than two.
(UK, time) Half an hour after the time given; half past.
In two equal parts or to an equal degree; in some part approximating a half; partially; imperfectly
* :
* Nehemiah 13:24 :
One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided; — sometimes followed by of; as, a half of an apple.
* (rfdate), :
* (rfdate), :
# (sports) One of the two opposite parts of the playing field of various sports, in which each starts the game.
* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 16, author=Ben Dirs, title=Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand 83-7 Japan, work=BBC Sport
, passage=However, the hosts hit back and hit back hard, first replacement hooker Andrew Hore sliding over, then Williams careering out of his own half and leaving several defenders for dead before flipping the ball to Nonu to finish off a scintillating move.}}
Half of a standard measure; frequently used (British) for half a pint of beer or cider.
* 1968 (British), John Braine, The Crying Game , Houghton Mifflin,
* 1974 (British), James Herriot, All Things Bright and Beautiful , St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0312020309,
* 2006 (British), Bill Appleton, Wide Boy , Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie, ISBN 1843862530,
The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.
(obsolete) part; side; behalf
* (rfdate), Wyclif
*:
* (rfdate), :
To halve.
a half-hour after, thirty minutes after (used with the number of the hour)
*1603 , (John Florio), translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays , III.1:
*:And whosoever hath traced mee and nearely looked into my humours, Ile loose a good wager if hee confesse not that there is no rule in their schoole, could, a midde such crooked pathes and divers windings, square and report this naturall motion, and maintaine an apparance of liberty and licence so equall and inflexible […].
With close relation; intimately.
* (John Locke) (1632-1705)
* 1837 , The Dublin University Magazine
* 1847 , (Herman Melville), (Omoo)
Closely, in close proximity.
*c. 1606 , (William Shakespeare), Macbeth , First Folio 1623, IV.2:
*:I doubt some danger do's approach you neerely .
In close approximation; almost, virtually.
*{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
, chapter=1 *{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author=Kevin Heng
, title=Why Does Nature Form Exoplanets Easily?
, volume=101, issue=3, page=184, magazine=(American Scientist)
As adverbs the difference between half and nearly
is that half is in two equal parts or to an equal degree; in some part approximating a half; partially; imperfectly while nearly is .As an adjective half
is consisting of a moiety, or half (1/2, 50%).As a noun half
is one of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided; — sometimes followed by of; as, a half of an apple.As a verb half
is to halve.As a preposition half
is a half-hour after, thirty minutes after (used with the number of the hour).half
English
Adjective
(-)- a half''' bushel''; ''a '''half''' hour''; ''a '''half''' dollar''; ''a '''half view
- a half''' dream''; '''''half knowledge
- Assumed from thence a half consent.
- A (half brother) or (half sister)
- A (half uncle) or (half aunt) or (half cousin)
- We went to bed at half ten.
Usage notes
* The adjective and noun are often united to form a compound.Synonyms
* hemi-, semi-, demi-Derived terms
* half ape * half back * half bent * half binding * half boarder * half-breadth plan * half brother * half cadence * half cap * half cock * half cocked * half hitch * half hose * half-life * Half Life * half measure * half-moon * half note * half page * half pay * half price * half round * half shift * half sister * half step * half tide * half time * half tint * half truth * half yearAdverb
(-)- half'''-colored''; '''''half''' done''; '''''half'''-hearted''; '''''half''' persuaded''; '''''half conscious
- Half' loth and ' half consenting.
- Their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod.
Noun
(halves)- You don't know the half of it.
- Not half his riches known, and yet despised.
- A friendship so complete Portioned in halves between us
citation
p. 11,
- He came back with a pint of Guinness for me and a half of bitter for Wendy.
- I accepted a half of bitter from him.
p. 168,
- I went to the bar where I bought a pint and two large brandies. ... "Not brandy," she replied, "but I could use a long drink - maybe a half of lager."
- Three-quarters minus a quarter is a half .
- The four halves of the house
Synonyms
*Derived terms
* better half * by halves * cry halves * go halves * half a loaf is better than none * half and half * in half * in one's half * know the half of * not half * not half bad * other half * too clever by halfVerb
Preposition
(English prepositions)- half one — half past one, 1:30
See also
* half-References
*nearly
English
Adverb
(en-adv)- Let that which he learns next be nearly conjoined with what he knows already.
- She could have joined most comfortably in all their supposings, and suspicions, and doubts, and prognostications, but the honour of the family was too nearly concerned to allow free reins to her tongue.
- [H]e was also accounted a man of wealth, and was nearly related to a high chief.
citation, passage=She was like a Beardsley Salome , he had said. And indeed she had the narrow eyes and the high cheekbone of that creature, and as nearly the sinuosity as is compatible with human symmetry.}}
citation, passage=In the past two years, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has located nearly 3,000 exoplanet candidates ranging from sub-Earth-sized minions to gas giants that dwarf our own Jupiter.}}