French word

demi-heure

Pronunciation

IPA/dəmiœʁ/

Meaning

  • feminine nounhalf hour

Example

Il part dans une demi-heure.

He is leaving in half an hour.

Illustration for demi-heure (half hour)

More examples

J'ai attendu pendant une demi-heure.

I waited for half an hour.

Core concept

A small clock interval that can be counted as an activity's length or as the wait until something happens.

Common phrases

  • pendant une demi-heure

    for half an hour

Similar words

heure: A period lasting sixty minutes.
minute: A unit of time lasting sixty seconds.
quart d'heure: A period lasting fifteen minutes.

Definition in French

Intervalle de trente minutes indiquant soit la durée d'une action, soit le délai avant un événement (ex. «dans une demi-heure»).

Word origin

French formed demi-heure by placing demi before heure, with demi meaning half and heure descending from Latin hora.

Usage tips

  • In une demi-heure, demi stays unchanged before the feminine noun, while une heure et demie has demie after the noun.

Opposites

Word lists with this word