"better half" meaning in All languages combined

See better half on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Audio: en-au-better half.ogg Forms: better halves [plural]
Etymology: Ultimately from such Latin poetic phrases as animae dīmidium meae (“half of my soul”) (Horace writing about Virgil), when it instead referred to a close friend (compare soulmate). First written instance of it meaning “spouse” was in 1580 by Sir Philip Sidney. Etymology templates: {{der|en|la|-}} Latin, {{B.C.E.|nodots=1}} BCE, {{BCE}} BCE Head templates: {{en-noun|better halves}} better half (plural better halves)
  1. A person's spouse or lover, most commonly a man's wife. Categories (topical): Family members Synonyms: spouse Translations (spouse or lover): lepší polovička [feminine] (Czech), bedre halvdel [common-gender] (Danish), betere helft (Dutch), parempi puolisko (Finnish), douce moitié [feminine] (French), meilleure moitié [feminine] (French), moitié [feminine] (French), bessere Hälfte [feminine] (German), jobbik fél (Hungarian), bedre halvdel [masculine] (Norwegian Bokmål), lepsza połowa [feminine] (Polish), cara-metade [feminine] (Portuguese), metade [feminine] (Portuguese), дража́йшая полови́на (dražájšaja polovína) [feminine] (Russian), полови́на (polovína) [feminine] (Russian), media naranja [feminine] (Spanish), bättre hälft [common-gender] (Swedish), ภรรยา (pan-yaa) (Thai), شَرِیکِ سَفْر (śarīk-i safr) (Urdu)
    Sense id: en-better_half-en-noun-ez2lHlEN Disambiguation of Family members: 90 10 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Czech translations, Terms with Danish translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations, Terms with Thai translations, Terms with Urdu translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 56 44 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 84 16 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 80 20 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 91 9 Disambiguation of Terms with Czech translations: 81 19 Disambiguation of Terms with Danish translations: 90 10 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 89 11 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 82 18 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 89 11 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 88 12 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 77 23 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations: 81 19 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 81 19 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 83 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 91 9 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 93 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 83 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Thai translations: 82 18 Disambiguation of Terms with Urdu translations: 89 11 Disambiguation of 'spouse or lover': 95 5
  2. (archaic) A very close friend or companion. Tags: archaic
    Sense id: en-better_half-en-noun-1svYi798

Inflected forms

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  "etymology_text": "Ultimately from such Latin poetic phrases as animae dīmidium meae (“half of my soul”) (Horace writing about Virgil), when it instead referred to a close friend (compare soulmate). First written instance of it meaning “spouse” was in 1580 by Sir Philip Sidney.",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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          "_dis": "90 10",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Family members",
          "orig": "en:Family members",
          "parents": [
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            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "ref": "1580, Philip Sidney, “Book III”, in The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, page 357:",
          "text": "But with that Argalus came out of his swoon, […], it seemed a little cheerful blood came up to his cheeks, like a burning coal, almost dead, if some breath a little revive it: and forcing up, the best he could, his feeble voice, “My dear, my better half,” said he, “I find I must now leave thee: and by that sweet hand, and fair eyes of thine I swear that death brings nothing with it to grieve me but that I must leave thee, […]",
          "type": "quote"
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          "text": "Quickly gentlemen, we got about fifteen minutes before Jimmie's better-half comes pulling into the driveway.",
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          "ref": "2002, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, “Interview”, in The Office, season 2, episode 6 (television production), spoken by Helena (Olivia Colman):",
          "text": "Private life then, just to flesh out David Brent the man. Is there a better half?",
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      "id": "en-better_half-en-noun-ez2lHlEN",
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          "lover"
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          "wife"
        ]
      ],
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        {
          "word": "spouse"
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        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "lepší polovička"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
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          ],
          "word": "bedre halvdel"
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        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "word": "betere helft"
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        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
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          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "word": "parempi puolisko"
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          "code": "fr",
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          "sense": "spouse or lover",
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          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "meilleure moitié"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "moitié"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "bessere Hälfte"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "word": "jobbik fél"
        },
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          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "bedre halvdel"
        },
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          "_dis1": "95 5",
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          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "lepsza połowa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "cara-metade"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "metade"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "dražájšaja polovína",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "дража́йшая полови́на"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "polovína",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
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        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "es",
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          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "tags": [
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          ],
          "word": "media naranja"
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          "_dis1": "95 5",
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          "sense": "spouse or lover",
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          "_dis1": "95 5",
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          "roman": "pan-yaa",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "word": "ภรรยา"
        },
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          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "ur",
          "lang": "Urdu",
          "roman": "śarīk-i safr",
          "sense": "spouse or lover",
          "word": "شَرِیکِ سَفْر"
        }
      ]
    },
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        "A very close friend or companion."
      ],
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          "friend"
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          "companion"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic) A very close friend or companion."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ]
    }
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  "wikipedia": [
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  "word": "better half"
}
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          "ref": "1580, Philip Sidney, “Book III”, in The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, page 357:",
          "text": "But with that Argalus came out of his swoon, […], it seemed a little cheerful blood came up to his cheeks, like a burning coal, almost dead, if some breath a little revive it: and forcing up, the best he could, his feeble voice, “My dear, my better half,” said he, “I find I must now leave thee: and by that sweet hand, and fair eyes of thine I swear that death brings nothing with it to grieve me but that I must leave thee, […]",
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        {
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          "text": "Quickly gentlemen, we got about fifteen minutes before Jimmie's better-half comes pulling into the driveway.",
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          "ref": "2002, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, “Interview”, in The Office, season 2, episode 6 (television production), spoken by Helena (Olivia Colman):",
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        "(archaic) A very close friend or companion."
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      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/En-au-better_half.ogg"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "lepší polovička"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "bedre halvdel"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "word": "betere helft"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "word": "parempi puolisko"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "douce moitié"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "meilleure moitié"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "moitié"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "bessere Hälfte"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "word": "jobbik fél"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "bedre halvdel"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "lepsza połowa"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "cara-metade"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "metade"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "dražájšaja polovína",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "дража́йшая полови́на"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "polovína",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "полови́на"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "media naranja"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "bättre hälft"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "roman": "pan-yaa",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "word": "ภรรยา"
    },
    {
      "code": "ur",
      "lang": "Urdu",
      "roman": "śarīk-i safr",
      "sense": "spouse or lover",
      "word": "شَرِیکِ سَفْر"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Horace",
    "Philip Sidney",
    "Virgil"
  ],
  "word": "better half"
}

Download raw JSONL data for better half meaning in All languages combined (5.5kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-20 using wiktextract (c15a5ce and 5c11237). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.