1) half, part also called "shekel of the sanctuary" or "holy shekel" 2) half a shekel (meton) There appears to be at least three different shekels, one of silver, gold and copper. See a Bible Dictionary for a complete treatment of the subject.
STRONG'S WORD STUDY
H1235 — בֶּ֫קַע
be.qa · bekah · Hebrew/Aramaic
2 tagged verse occurrences
Genesis 24:22 · בֶּ֖קַעIt happened, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold,Exodus 38:26 · בֶּ֚קַעa beka a head, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men.