A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

dimidius,-a,-um (adj.A): half, divided into two equal parts, halved; applied to one of both halves; similar to dimidiate, q.v.; note that ‘dimidio’ is also an adverb, ‘by one-half’ in addition to being the abl. sg. of both masculine and neuter of the adj. ‘dimidius,-a,-um;’ see dimidio (adv.);

- arillo dimidiam tantum seminis partem obtegente, with the aril covering over only one half part of the seed.

- [moss] operculo thecae dimidiam partem longitudine subaequante (C. Mueller), with the operculum in length almost equalling one half part of the theca.

- [moss] parte dimidia calyptrae papillosa, (one) half of the calyptra papillose ['the half part of the calyptra papillose'].

- [moss] annulo crasso et operculo thecae dimidiae longitudine conico (C. Mueller), with the annulus thick and with the operculum conic, with the length of half of the theca.

- frons usque 5-pollicaris, lineam et dimidiam in exsiccata lata (Agardh), the frond to 5 inches, in dried [specimens] a line [i.e. 2.1 mm] and a half wide.

- foliolum sub spica potius est gluma ínfima, nec dimidia spica longius (Swartz), the leaflet below the spike is rather [i.e. actually] the lowermost glume, not longer than the half-spike [i.e. half of the spike].

- filamenta capillaria, longitudine dimidiae corollae (Swartz), the filamenta capillary, with the length of one half corolla [i.e. one half the length of the corolla].

- [moss] calyptra cuculliformis, capsulae dimidiam partem tegens, una cum operculo decidua, laevis (DozyMoek), calyptra hooded, covering a half-part of the capsule, one with the operculum [i.e. united to the operculum], deciduous, smooth.

dimidiate: “when one half an organ is so much smaller than the other as to seem as if missing. Hardly different from oblique, except in degree. Also slit half-way up” (Lindley); halved, half, applied to a whole which is divided or split into halves; whereas dimidius is applied to a half.

half (adj.): dimidius,-a,-um (adj.A) half (in reference to one of both halves), dimidiatus,-a,-um (part.A) (in reference to the whole divided or parted into two halves).