plural moieties
1
a
: one of two equal parts : half
b
: one of two approximately equal parts
… war, pestilence, and famine had consumed … the moiety of the human species.—
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon2
3
: one of two basic complementary tribal subdivisions
the pueblo's population is divided into two halves or moieties; the Squash, or Winter People, and the Turquoise, or Summer People—Tom Bahti
Tom Bahti
Did you know?
Moiety is one of thousands of words that English speakers borrowed from French. The Anglo-French moité (meaning "a half" or "part of something") comes from Late Latin medietat-, meaning "a half." Around the same time that moiety was borrowed from Anglo-French, medietat- was also borrowed directly from Latin as mediety, a word which can also mean "a half." Medietat- comes from Latin medius (meaning "middle"), which has contributed to such English words as medium, meridian, and milieu.
Examples of moiety in a Sentence
the lot was split into two equal moieties
Recent Examples on the Web
The researchers’ structural comparison demonstrated that the binding mode of GS-441524 in the macrodomain highly resembled that of the adenosine moiety of ADP-ribose, indicating that the metabolite can bind to the macrodomain in place of ADP-ribose (Figure 8).
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 4 June 2021
The Google Doodle features Peratrovich speaking into a microphone at a podium with a raven behind her, representing her Lukaax̱.ádi clan — a Raven moiety.
—Samantha Davenport, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Dec. 2020
That was done so the hat maker would come from a non-Raven moiety.
—Ben Hohenstatt, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Oct. 2019
GHF Language and Projects Lead Fred White said though the original plan was to make this an Eagle pole, a committee of elders from GHF and DIA decided instead to honor a specific clan of the Eagle moiety, the Yanyeidi.
—Alex McCarthy, The Seattle Times, 16 Dec. 2017
At this ceremony, representatives of the opposite moiety recognize the unveiling of an official clan crest object.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, 11 Sep. 2017
The announcement of HTTPanties is not a single doom; in the name lays a moiety of the world.
—Rob Beschizza, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2007
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William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 4 June 2021
The Google Doodle features Peratrovich speaking into a microphone at a podium with a raven behind her, representing her Lukaax̱.ádi clan — a Raven moiety.
—Samantha Davenport, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Dec. 2020
That was done so the hat maker would come from a non-Raven moiety.
—Ben Hohenstatt, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Oct. 2019
GHF Language and Projects Lead Fred White said though the original plan was to make this an Eagle pole, a committee of elders from GHF and DIA decided instead to honor a specific clan of the Eagle moiety, the Yanyeidi.
—Alex McCarthy, The Seattle Times, 16 Dec. 2017
At this ceremony, representatives of the opposite moiety recognize the unveiling of an official clan crest object.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, 11 Sep. 2017
The announcement of HTTPanties is not a single doom; in the name lays a moiety of the world.
—Rob Beschizza, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2007
Dictionary Entries Near moiety
Cite this Entry
“Moiety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moiety. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
moiety
noun
moi·ety
ˈmȯi-ət-ē 
plural moieties
: one of the portions into which something is divided
the hemoglobin molecule contains four heme moieties—Lionel Whitby
Lionel WhitbyLegal Definition
moiety
noun
moi·e·ty
ˈmȯi-ə-tē
plural moieties
: half of something (as an estate)
an interest exceeding a moiety
compare entirety sense 2
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