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Glite Dictionary
half door

half door

1 4.9
An outside door split into top and bottom parts that open separately
  • noun
translation icon : puerta media
  • Head up the stairs and squeeze through the half-door entrance, and you'll understand what that means.
  • swinging half door

Examples

  • Pushing aside two swinging half doors, Sam and Tom stepped into a rock-walled chamber that opened to a tunnel running across in front of them.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • At the half-door marked Headquarters, my heart jumps.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • A clumsy slum hotel fifteen years ago, with a tiny lobby, the desk clerk at a half-door in one wall.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • "We dissolved in helpless laughter, attracting the notice of the shopgirl, who peered over the half-door in alarm.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The half door allowed my small dog to look outside while still keeping the house secure.

  • After finishing her chores, she opened the half door to let the fresh air flow into the kitchen.

  • The half door in the stable swung open, revealing the horses eager for their afternoon feeding.

Synonyms

Dutch door
vshalf door
1 5.6

A door split across the middle so the top or bottom half opens separately

has the same meaning but uses a different traditional name

Surface Forms

half door singular
half doors plural

Morphology

half + door

The meaning is directly compositional: 'half' modifies 'door' to indicate a door that is in two parts or only partially a full door. A B1 learner who knows both words can reasonably infer it refers to a door divided into halves (e.g., two horizontally opening sections), so the expression is transparent.

Etymology

Half door is made of half and door: it is a door split so the top can open while the bottom stays closed. People used it to let air and light in and to speak with someone outside while keeping animals or children inside, so it means 'an outside door divided horizontally that opens in two parts'.