Plural of half; two equal parts that something is divided into.
From Old English 'half,' originally meaning 'part' or 'side,' related to Germanic words meaning 'to divide' or 'to lean.' The plural 'halves' shows the irregular transformation from 'f' to 'v' in English.
English has weird plurals for historical reasons: 'half' becomes 'halves,' 'loaf' becomes 'loaves,' and 'leaf' becomes 'leaves'—all because of ancient Germanic sound patterns. It's like our language froze these old pronunciation rules in place, making spelling seem random to modern speakers.
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