Halfling is another name for J. R. R. Tolkien's hobbit, a fictional race found in some fantasy novels and games. They are often depicted as similar to humans except about half as tall. Dungeons & Dragons began using the name halfling as an alternative to hobbit for legal reasons. Halfling characters have appeared in various tabletop and video games. Halflings have long been one of the playable humanoid races in Dungeons & Dragons. (source)