halse 
adjure, exorcise, = OHG. heilison, MHG. lieil- 
Kt-ii, predict (by omens), < Icel. lieitea = Sw. 
helsa = Dan. hilse, greet, hail; with verb-for- 
mative -s (as in AS. bletsian, ONorth. blpedsia, 
E. bless, q. v., likewise of religious origin), < 
AS. Ml (= OHG. heil = Icel. heill, etc.), whole, 
hale, safe : see hail 2 , hale?, whole. Hence hal- 
sen, halseny, hazeney, hazon, etc.] 1. To greet ; 
salute; hail. 2. To beseech; adjure. 
This yonge child to conjure he bigan, 
And seyde, O dere child, I halse thee, 
In vertu of the holy Trinitee, 
Tel me what la thy cause for to synge. 
Chaucer, Prioress's Tale, 1. 193. 
He halted hit thorow goddes myjte 
That the fende he putte to flyste. 
Political Poems, etc. (ed. FurnivallX p. 86. 
halse 4 t, r. t. [Early mod. E. , also written hawse : 
see /xitcse 2 .] Same as hawse 2 . 
halse-bonet (hals'bon), n. [Sc. halsbane; < liaise* 
+ bone*.] The neck-bone. 
She pu'd the broom flower on Hive-hill, 
And strew'd on's white hols bane. 
The Broomfield Hill (ChUd's Ballads, 1. 132). 
halsemant, . An executioner. Halliwell. 
The halmum's sword. Cleaveland Revived (1660)j p. 75. 
halsen (hal'sen), (-. [Also halson, haleen; also 
hazon; a dial. var. or more orig. form of Aatee 3 , 
q. v.] I. trans. To predict; promise. Wright. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
II. intruns. To promise ; bode ; bid (fair or 
ill). [Prov. Bug.] 
This ill halsening horny name [Cornwall] hath (as Cor- 
nuto in Italy) opened a gap to the scoffes of many. 
Jt. Carcw, Survey of Cornwall, p. 1 b. 
halseny (hal'sen-i),.; pi. halsenies (-iz). [Also 
hazeney, v.; < halsen, v.] 1. A prediction (of 
evil). 2. Guess; conjecture. [Prov. Eng. in 
both senses.] 
halsert, . See hawser. 
halsiert, . [< halse* + -ier*.] Same as halster. 
An halsicr, or he which haleth and draweth a ship or 
barge alongst the river by a rope : also he that draweth up 
burthens and packes into the ship. Nomtnclator (1685). 
halster (hal'ster), 11. [Cf. halsier.] One who 
draws a barge along a river by a rope. [Prov. 
Eng.] 
halt 1 (halt), a. [Early mod. E. also hault; < 
ME. halt, rarely holt, < AS. healt, ONorth. halt 
= OS. OFries. LG. halt = OHG. MHG. hate = 
Icel. haltr, also halltr = Sw. Dan. halt = Goth. 
halts, lame. Connection with L. elaudus, lame, 
is not probable.] Lame; not able to walk with- 
out limping. 
Whom I made blynde, halt, or mesele. 
With his word he jaf hem hele. 
Cursor Mundi, 1. 17989. 
Bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, 
and the blind. Luke xiv. 21. 
Yet thousands still desire to journey on. 
Though halt, and weary of the path they tread. 
Camper, Task, i. 471. 
halt 1 (halt), t'. i. [Early mod. E. also hault; < 
ME. halten, < AS. healtian (= North Fries, hnlte 
= MD. D. houtten = OLG. halton, MHG. haken 
= Icel. haltra (for *halta), also refl. heltask = 
Sw. halta = Dan. halte, limp, halt; cf. OHG. 
gihelzan, make lame), < healt, halt, lame : see 
halt 1 , a.] 1. To limp; move with a limping 
gait. 
The king would have given unto him Judith, the widowe 
of Earle Waltheofns, butshee refused him because that he 
halted on the one legge. Stow. 
Scarce half made up, 
And that so lamely and unfashionable, 
That dogs bark at me as I halt by them. 
Shak., Rich. III., L 1. 
The traveler now, stooping, felt his foot and leg, as if 
trying whether they were sound ; apparently something 
ailed them, for he halted to the stile whence I had just 
risen, and sat down. Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, xii. 
2. To stand in doubt ; hesitate ; linger ; delay. 
How long halt ye between two opinions? 1 Ki. xviii. 21. 
Their religion halteth betwixt diuers religions of the 
Turkes, Persians, and Christians of the lacobite and Nes- 
torian Sects. Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 343. 
Haue yon perceiued my liberalitie or goodnesse, to- 
wardes you, to halt, to fayut, or to be slack r, at any tyme, 
or in any thyng? 
Udall, Flowers for Latin Speaking, fol. 24. 
3. To be lame, faulty, or defective, as in con- 
nection of ideas, or in measure or versification : 
as, a halting metaphor; a halting sonnet. 
The lady shall say her mind freely, or the blank verse 
shall halt for 't Shale., Hamlet, ii. 2. 
Spenser himself affects the obsolete, 
And Sidney's verse halts ill on Roman feet. 
Pope, Imit. of Horace, II. i. 98. 
halt 1 (halt), n. [< halt*, v.] 1. The act of 
limping; lameness; a defect in gait. 2. A 
disease in sheep. 
2694 
In cold stiff soils the bleaters oft complain 
Of gouty ails, by shepherds term'd the halt. 
Dyer, Fleece, i. 
halt 2 (halt), n. [First in 17th century, also alt 
(Milton), < OF. halte or halt, stop, stay, = It. 
alto, stop, stay, in the phrase fare alto = F. 
faire halte, stop, stay, make a stand; cf. D. 
halte or halt, houden, lit. hold, halt, < G. halt, 
halt, lit. hold, impv. of halten = E. hold*- : see 
hold 1 , .] A stop; a suspension of progress in 
walking, riding, or going in any manner, and 
especially in marching. 
To descry the distant foe, 
Where lodged, or whither fled ; or if for flght, 
In motion or in halt. Milton, P. L., vi. 532. 
Among them rose a cry 
As if to greet the king ; they made a lialt. 
Tennyson, Princess, v. 
A hall was called at Oxford, with the advance seventeen 
miles south of there. 
U. S. Grant, Personal Memoirs, I. 432. 
halt 2 (halt), v. [= F. halter, halt; from the 
noun.] I. intrans. To stop in walking or going ; 
cease to advance ; stop for a longer or shorter 
time on a march, as a body of troops. 
At length prudence and reason cry Hall ! 
Tyiidall, Forms of Water, p. 54. 
When we halted at that other well, 
And I was faint to swooning. 
Tennyson, Merlin and Vivien. 
II. trans. To bring to a stand ; cause to cease 
marching : as, the general halted his troops. 
halt 3 t. A Middle English contraction of hald- 
eth, equivalent to holdeth, third person singular 
of the present indicative of hold*. 
halter 1 (hal'ter), . [< ME. halter ; < halt*, 
v., + -er*.] One who halts or limps ; hence, 
one who hesitates as in doubt. 
Those halten between two religions think they can do 
their homage to the true God and to the false. 
D. Stokes, Twelve Minor Prophets (1659X p. 412. 
halter 2 (hal'ter), i. [< ME. halter, heltcr, helfter, 
< AS. na-lfter, healfter, hcelftre (= MD. halfter, 
lialfhter, D. halfter, halster = MLG. halter, LG. 
halfter, helchter, halter = OHG. halftra, MHG. 
helfter, G. halfter, a halter), < *half-, a base ap- 
pearing also, with umlaut, in AS. hielf, helf, E. 
helve, a handle, and in AS. helma (for orig. *helf- 
ma, *helbma), E. helm*, a handle, tiller (see 
helve and helm*), + suffix -ter.~\ 1. A rope, cord, 
or strap having at one end a noose or a head- 
stall, for leading or confining a horse or other 
animal. 
He took a cowt [colt] hatter frae his hose . . . 
And tied it to his gray mare's tale. 
Luchmaben Harper (Child's Ballads, VI. 8). 
2. A rope specially intended for hanging male- 
factors ; a hangman's noose. 
Pitie it is that he priseth a halter BO deare, else would 
he rid the world of a burthen, and hlmselfe of his worth- 
lesse life. Purchae, Pilgrimage, p. 325. 
Thou musty justice, 
Buy an honourable halter, and hang thyself ! 
Fletcher and Shirley, Night- Walker, iii. 3. 
halter 2 (hal'ter), v. t. [< halter*, .] To put 
a halter on ; catch, hold, or make fast with or 
as if with a halter: as, to halter a horse. 
I have savage cause ; 
And to proclaim it civilly, were like 
A hnltif'il neck, which does the hangman thank 
For being yare about him. Shak., A. and C., iii. 11. 
What pretty gins thon hast to halter woodcocks ! 
Fletcher, Wit without Money, iv. 2. 
halter 3 (hal'ter), n. ; pi. halteres (hal-te'rez). 
[< L. halter, < Gr. dfaqp, usually in pi. dl-riipec, 
weights held in the hands 
to give an impetus in 
leaping, leaping-weights, 
< aAfaaOtu, leap, = L. sa- 
lire, leap: see salient.'] 
In entom., one of the pois- 
ers or balancers of in- 
sects : usually in the plu- 
ral. 
Flies may be easily recog- Portion of an Asilid Fly, show- 
nized by their having but a sin- ing a, a, Haltercs. 
gle pair of wings, the hinder 
pair being aborted, and existing in a rudimentary state 
under the name of halter. 
A. S. Packard, Study of Insects, p. 358. 
Halteratat (hal-te-ra'ta), n. pi. [NL., neut. pi. 
of halteratus : see t halterate.] The order of in- 
sects now called Diptera. Snopoli, 1763. 
halterate (hal'te-rat), a. [< NL. halteratus, < 
L. halter, a halter: see halter 3 .] Having hal- 
teres, as a dipterous insect; specifically, per- 
taining to the Halterata. 
halter-break (hal'ter-brak), v. t. To accustom 
to the use of a halter; break or train by means 
of a halter, as a colt. 
halve 
Always Jialterlnreak colts to go beside their mothers. 
New York Semi-weekly Tribune, Dec. 24, 188B. 
halteres, . Plural of halter^. 
Halteria (hal-te'ri-S), n. [NL., < L. halter, < 
Gr. dirf/p, a leaping-weight : see halter 9 .'] The 
typical genus of Balteriidte, having the peri- 
stome spirally involute, the mouth eccentric, 
and a girdle of supplementary springing-hairs. 
They are very minute, but may be recognized by their 
globose form and slow rocking or lagging motions, inter- 
rupted at times by quick skipping. They are found only 
in fresh water. H. grandinella is an example. 
Halteriida (hal-te-ri'i-de), n. pi. [NL., < Hal- 
teria + -idfe,.] A family of free-swimming ani- 
malcules, typified by tfie genus Halteria. 
Halterina (hal-te-ri'na), n. pi. [NL., < Halteria 
+ -ina' 2 .] A family o'f ciliate inf usorians, rep- 
resented by the genera Halteria and Stromlii- 
dium. Claparedc and Lachmann, 1858-60. 
Halteripterat (hal-te-rip'te-ra), . pi. [NL., < 
L. halter, Gr. <i/.r;)/>, a leaping-weight, + Ttrepdv, 
wing.] The order of insects now called Dip- 
tern. Clairville, 1798. 
halteripteroust, <* [See Halteriptera.] Hav- 
ing halteres, as a dipterous insect ; specifically, 
pertaining to the Halteriptera. 
haltermant (barter-man), n. A hangman. 
It is an ill wind that blows no man to good, for halter- 
men and ballet-makers were not better set a-worke this 
many a day. Bundle of New Wit (1638). 
haltersackt (hal'ter-sak), . One who is fit 
for the gallows ; a hangdog; a gallows-bird. 
A knavish lad, a slie wag, a haltcrtack. Fiona, p. 81. 
I would hang him up by the heels, and flay him, and 
salt him, whoreson halter^ack. 
Beau, and Fl., Knight of Burning Pestle, i. 4. 
Haltica (hal'ti-ka), n. [NL., < Gr. d/.Tixof, leap- 
ing, < ahfaaOtu, leap : see halter 3 .] A genus of 
flea-beetles, referred to the Chrysomelida: or 
OalerucidfK, or made type of a 
family Halticida: The turnip-flea or 
turnip-fly, H. nemonnn, destructive at 
times to turnip-crops, is an example. 
Another species, H. congobrina, attacks 
cabbage. The cucumber flea-beetle, H. 
cticmiitni, is one of the commonest in cucumber Flea- 
the United States. Also written Altica. beetle (Haiti- 
See also cut under fleajieetle. a* c*e*mmi). 
Halticidae (hal-tis'i-de), n. pi. SftS"" 1 " 1 " 1 
[NL., < Haltica + -idle.] A fam- 
ily of saltatorial coleopters or jumping beetles, * 
typified by the genus Haltica ; the flea-beetles. 
They have thickened hind femora, fitted for leaping, are 
of small sire and often bright-colored, and are especially 
injurious to cruciferous plants. Also written Halticidet, 
ttalticitet. 
Halticoptera 1 (hal-ti-kop'te-ra), n. [NL.,fem. 
sing., < Gr. <&Tif, leaping, -i- irrepov, wing.] 
A genus of chalcid hymenopters, of the sub- 
family Ptefomalinte, of which the European H. 
aterrima is the sole species. Spinola, 1811. 
Halticoptera 2 (hal-ti-kop'te-ra), n. pi. [NL., 
neut.pl.: see Halticoptera* .] A series of genera 
in Chalcididw proposed by Haliday in 1840. 
[Not in use.] 
Halticoridse (hal-ti-kor'i-de), 11. pi. [NL., < 
Halticoris + -ida'.] A family of jumping bugs, 
or saltatorial heteropterous insects, typified by 
the genus Halticoris, and belonging to the su- 
perfamily Capsina. Douglass and Scott, 1865. 
Halticoris (hal-tik'o-ris), n. [NL. (Douglass 
and Scott, 1865), contr. of * Halticocoris, < Gr. 
dXn/cof, leaping (see Haltica), + n6pi(, bug.] A 
genus of true bugs, typical of the family Hal- 
ticorida;, comprising a few European species, 
as H. pallicornis. 
haltingly (hal'ting-li), adv. In a halting man- 
ner ; with limping ; hesitatingly ; slowly. 
halvaner, halvanner (hal'van-er), n. [North. 
E., < halvan-s + -er*.] A miner who dresses 
or washes halvan-ore. See halvans. 
halvan-ore (hal'van-6r), n. See halvans. 
halvans (hal'vanz), n. pi. [North. E., perhaps 
for 'Jialfens (cf. halfendeal), < half, q. v.] In 
mining, the refuse ore, or that from which the 
best part has been selected. Halvans may be sub- 
jected to further culling ; and, when this is done, the ore 
thus obtained is called halvan-ore. In general, the word is 
a synonym of afei. [Not much used in the United 
States.] 
halve (hav), v. t. ; pret. and pp. haired, ppr. 
hairing. [< ME. halven, halfen (= MHG. halben, 
helben, G. halben); < half, a.] 1. To divide 
into two parts, especially two equal parts or 
halves. 
But halve your men in equal parts. 
Battle of Philiphaugh (Child's Ballads, VII. 134). 
We can no more halve things, and get the sensual good 
by Itself, than we can get an inside that shall have no out- 
side, or a light without a shadow. 
Emerson, Compensation. 
