Meaning & use
half-blood
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableoffensive
A person who shares only one parent with another person; a half-sibling.
Grammar: Used mainly in legal or genealogical contexts. It can be offensive if used about someone's racial or ethnic background.
Patterns
- half-blood brother
- half-blood sister
- half-blood relative
In the will, she left money to her half-blood brother.
The genealogist noted that the two were half-blood siblings.
The term 'half-blood' is now considered offensive when referring to a person's heritage.
Word forms
| plural | half-bloods |
|---|
Common combinations
- half-blood brother
- He discovered he had a half-blood brother from his father's first marriage.
- half-blood sister
- She grew up with a half-blood sister who lived in another city.
- half-blood relationship
- The lawyer explained the half-blood relationship in the inheritance case.
Synonyms and how they differ
- half-sibling
- Half-sibling is the neutral, everyday term; half-blood is technical and can be offensive.
- half-brother
- Half-brother is specific to a male sibling; half-blood can refer to any gender.
Opposites
Word family
- half-blooded adjective
- Having only one parent in common.
Commonly confused: half-blood or half-breed?
half-blood vs half-breed
Half-breed is a highly offensive slur for a person of mixed race; half-blood is used in genealogy but can also be offensive if applied to race.
Practice
In which context is 'half-blood' most appropriate?
Choose one answer.
'Half-blood' is a technical term used in legal and genealogical contexts. In everyday speech or about race, it is outdated and can be offensive; use 'half-sibling' or 'half-brother/sister' instead.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “half-blood”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.