Acronym of hardware abstraction layer.
"The scientists decided to shut down hal immediately after it began plotting against its human crew members."
A homicidal computer, an artificial intelligence that acts similarly to the HAL 9000 featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
"The judge struck out his name from the roll and declared him hal."
A diminutive of the male given names Henry, Harold and Harry.
"His grandfather affectionately called him Hal instead of his full name, Harold."
The word hal comes from Arabic ḥāl, which originally meant a state or condition. It entered English with this same general sense of describing someone's current situation or demeanor.