Definition of MOIETY

moiety

Plural: moieties

Noun

  • A half; a portion or part of something.
  • one of two (approximately) equal parts
  • one of two basic subdivisions of a tribe
  • A half.
  • A share or portion, especially a smaller share.
  • Each descent group in a culture which is divided exactly into two descent groups.
  • A specific segment of a molecule.

Examples

  • Aniline has both a phenyl and an amino moiety.
  • He offered a moiety of his remaining tiles, hoping for a strategic exchange.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French moytié, 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.

Synonyms

mediety, half

Scrabble Score: 11

moiety: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
moiety: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
moiety: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

moiety: valid Words With Friends Word