Malbim Ayelet HaShachar Klal 87
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
יש הבדל בין שם מחצית ובין שם חצי. 'מחצית' היא דבר הנחצה בידי אדם בצמצום לשני חלקים שוים אבל 'חצי' נחצה מאליו, או שהיא מדה ידועה עד שאין צורך לחצות עתה, או שלא חצה בצמצום. (צו ס' מד)
There is a difference between the noun מחצית (half) and the noun חצי (half). מחצית is a thing that is carefully divided by a person into two equal parts, but חצי means divided in half on its own, or it is a specific measurement with no current need to be divided, or it is not carefully divided into two equal parts.
An example of “divided in half on its own” isחצי הלילה*(half of the night). An example of “a specific measurement with no current need to be divided” isחצי האמה(half of a cubit). An example of “it is not carefully divided into two equal parts” isחצי המלכות(half of the kingdom)¹⁶⁴.*
footnotes: ¹⁶⁴ Malbim, HaTorah v’HaMitzvah Tzav 44.