Word of the Day, September 23: ‘Moiety’

Word of the Day: MOIETY

Pronunciation: UK /ˈmɔɪəti/
US /ˈmɔɪəti/

Meaning

Moiety means one of two equal parts of something, or simply a part or share of something.

Examples for daily usage

• Each sibling received a moiety of the inheritance.
• The company owns one moiety of the property.
• He donated a moiety of his earnings to charity.

Origin and history

Moiety entered English in the mid-15th century from Old French moite, meaning “half” or “part”. It came from Latin medietas, meaning “half” or originally “middle point”, from medius, meaning “middle”. The word is therefore connected to the idea of something being divided through the middle.

Also Read: Word of the Day, September 22: ‘Limerence’

Cultural significance and modern usage

The word has had an important place in legal language, where it can refer to one half of an estate, property or other interest. It has also been used in anthropology to describe one of two social divisions within certain communities, particularly divisions based on descent.

Today, moiety is uncommon in everyday conversation. Words such as half, share and portion are much more natural in ordinary speech, while moiety tends to appear in legal, academic and formal writing.

Interesting facts

The plural of moiety is moieties.

The word can mean an exact half, but it can also refer more generally to a portion or share.

Moiety is related to the word mediety, which also comes from the Latin root connected with “middle”.

One of the earliest recorded English forms was moite.

The word has been used in English for more than 500 years.

Examples from literature

• “the remaining moiety of his first wife’s fortune was also secured to her child” — Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.
• “Methinks my moiety, north from Burton here, In quantity equals not one of yours.” — King Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare.

Synonyms

• Half
• Share
• Portion
• Part
• Section

Antonyms

• Whole
• Entirety
• Totality

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