also: はんどん
half-holiday; half-day off
Historically referred to a half-day off, often Saturday afternoon, when schools or businesses closed early. Now somewhat dated; 半休 is more common for a half-day leave.
See also: ドンタク
In the old days, Saturday was a half-holiday.
sixth round (in hanafuda)
Specific to hanafuda games with 12 rounds; the sixth round is called 半ドン.
In hanafuda, the 半ドン is the sixth round.
Standard spelling; ドン is short for ドンタク (from Dutch 'zondag').
Mixed kana spelling; less common but seen.
From 半 (half) + ドン, a shortening of ドンタク, borrowed from Dutch 'zondag' (Sunday/holiday). The term originally referred to a half-day holiday.