moiety

Etymology

From Old French meitié (“half”) (modern French moitié (“half”)), from Late Latin medietās (“centre, midpoint; half”), from Latin medius (“half; middle”) + -tās (from Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts (“suffix forming nouns indicating a state of being”)). Medius is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos (“middle”), possibly from *me-dʰi- (“among; with”), from *me (“in the middle of; among; with”). The word is a doublet of mediety.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɔɪ.ə.ti/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɔɪ.ə.ti/, /-ɾi/

• Hyphenation: moi‧e‧ty

Noun

moiety (plural moieties)

1. A half.
   • c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene i], page 364, column 1:

     The death of Anthony / Is not a ſingle doome. In the name lay / A moity of the world.

   • 1829, “The Progress of Zoology”, in T[homas] Crofton Croker, editor, The Christmas Box. An Annual Present to Young Persons, London: John Ebers and Co. 27 Old Bond Street; Philadelphia, Pa.: Thomas Wardle, OCLC 22874885, page 176:

     From New Holland the emeu, / With his better moiety, / Has paid a visit to the Zo- / ological Society.

2. A share or portion, especially a smaller share.
3. (anthropology) Each descent group in a culture which is divided exactly into two descent groups.
4. (chemistry) A specific segment of a molecule.

   Aniline has both a phenyl and an amino moiety.

Further reading

• moiety (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia