| 释义 |
▪ I. halfling, n. and a. Sc. and north.|ˈhɑːflɪŋ|
Also 8 haflin, 9 hawflin, halflin.
[f. half + -ling.]
A. n.
1. One not fully grown; a stripling.
1794Statist. Acc. Scotl., Forfarsh. XII. 304 (Jam.) Wages of a man servant {pstlg}10..Of a haflin, {pstlg}5. 1804R. Anderson Cumberld. Ball. 87 She'd little to de, To tek sec a hawflin as he. Mod. Sc. Advt., Baker, Wanted, a stout Halflin, about 3 years at the trade.
2. The half of a silverling or old silver penny.
1820Scott Ivanhoe v, ‘Not a shekel, not a silver penny, not a halfling’..said the Jew.
B. adj. Not fully grown; about the age of 15.
1815Scott Guy M. xi, My mother sent me, that was a hafflin callant. 1883Stevenson in Longm. Mag. II. 381 Religions so old that our language looks a halfling boy alongside. 1895Crockett in Cornh. Mag. Dec. 579 She..ran..more like a halfling lassie than a douce mother of eleven bairns.
▪ II. ˈhalfling, halflings, adv. Now only Sc.
Forms: α. 3 halflunge, 5 -lyng, halvelinge, 8 haflen, 9 -in. β. 3 (Orm.) hallflinngess, 6 halflingis, 8 haf(f)lins.
[α. f. OE. type *healflunga; β. with adverbial genitive ending -es, -s. Cf. alling, -ings.]
To the extent of a half, half; in part, partially.
αa1225Ancr. R. 354 He nis bute halflunge upo Godes rode. 1423Jas. I Kingis Q. xlix, Thus halflyng louse for haste. c1430Pilgr. Lyf Manhode ii. lxxxv. (1869) 106 Haluelinge j foryat Grace dieu.
βc1200Ormin 16575 Off swillke þatt hemm turrndenn swa Hallflinngess to þe Laferrd. 1500–20Dunbar Thistle & Rose 187 Than vp I lenyt, halflingis in affrey. 1592Lyndesay's Wks. Prol. 3 (Jam.), I stude gazing halflingis in ane trance. 1785Burns Cotter's Sat. Night vii, While Jenny hafflins is afraid to speak. 1795Macneill Will & Jean i. xxi, Haflins seen and haflins hid.
b. quasi-adj.
1801R. Gall Tint Quey 175 Wi' Habby Græme the haflins fool. 1824Scott Redgauntlet let. xi, My father was then a hafflins callant. |