half-blood

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A person of mixed racial ancestry: "half-blood" refers to an individual whose parents are of different races, often used historically in contexts of colonialism or racial classification.
    • A sibling sharing one biological parent: "half-blood" can denote a half-brother or half-sister — a person who shares only one parent with another.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • He was considered a half-blood in the village because his mother was European and his father was Indigenous. (A person of mixed racial ancestry.)
    • She and her half-blood brother grew up in different households after their parents divorced. (A sibling sharing one parent.)
Advanced Usage
  • "half-blood prince": a literary term popularized by the series, referring to a wizard with one magical parent and one non-magical (Muggle) parent.
    • Severus Snape called himself the Half-Blood Prince to signify his mixed magical heritage. (A wizard of mixed magical and non-magical lineage.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Half-blooded (adj): describing something or someone of mixed ancestry.

    • The half-blooded horse was prized for its endurance. (A horse with mixed breed lineage.)

  • Half-breed (n, often considered offensive): a term for a person of mixed racial descent, similar to "half-blood" but more pejorative.

    • The term half-breed is now widely seen as derogatory. (A racial slur for mixed-race individuals.)
Synonyms
  • Mixed-race: of or relating to a person whose parents are of different races.
  • Biracial: having two distinct racial backgrounds.
  • Half-sibling: a brother or sister with whom one shares only one parent.
Related Idioms

  • "Blood is thicker than water": a proverb emphasizing familial bonds, sometimes used in contexts involving half-blood relationships.

    • Even though they were only half-blood siblings, they remained close. (Familial loyalty persists despite partial lineage.)

  • "Of mixed blood": a phrase describing someone with ancestors from different racial or ethnic groups.

    • The character in the novel was of mixed blood, struggling to find his identity. (A person of mixed ancestry.)