better half
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better half
Where it comes from
Ultimately from such Latin poetic phrases as animae dīmidium meae (“half of my soul”) (Horace writing about Virgil), when it instead referred to a close friend (compare soulmate). First written instance of it meaning “spouse” was in 1580 by Sir Philip Sidney.
noun better halves
-
A person's spouse or lover, most commonly a man's wife.
Near-synonyms: other half (neutral valence), ball and chain (negative valence)
Similar: spouse, better half, consort, helpmate, helpmeet, mate, other half, partner, spousy, wedder, ball and chain
- A very close friend or companion.
Translations
Every language
noun spouse or lover
| Español | media naranja |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | अर्धांगिनी ardhāṅginī, पत्नी patnī |
| Português | cara-metade, metade |
| Français | douce moitié, meilleure moitié, moitié |
| Deutsch | bessere Hälfte |
| Русский | дража́йшая полови́на dražájšaja polovína, полови́на polovína |
Talk about this word "better half." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/better%20half. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. better half. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/better%20half "better half." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/better%20half.Cite this
@misc{better_half_2026,
title = {better half},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/better%20half},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
