1 : the time required for half of something to undergo a process: as a : the time required for half of the atoms of a radioactive substance to become
disintegrated b : the time required for half the amount of a substance (as a drug or radioactive
tracer) in or introduced into a living system or ecosystem to be eliminated or disintegrated by natural processes
2 : a period of usefulness or popularity preceding decline or obsolescence <slang usually has a short
half-life>