moiety

noun

moi·​e·​ty ˈmȯi-ə-tē 

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

2

: one of the portions into which something is divided : component, part

an ether molecule with a benzene moiety

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

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.

Synonyms

• half

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English moite, from Anglo-French meité, moité, from Late Latin medietat-, medietas, from Latin medius middle — more at mid

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

moiety

noun

moi·​ety

ˈmȯi-ət-ē

plural moieties

1

: one of two equal or approximately equal parts : half

2

: component

Medical 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

Legal 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