Other forms: halted; halting; halts
Whether it's used as a noun or a verb, the word halt means stop. You can remember this by remembering that when you step on the brake to halt your car (verb), it comes to a halt (noun).
English draws on both Romance and Germanic languages, and halt is one that comes from the Old High German haltmachen, which means "to hold." The word suggests a stoppage in the midst of action, and a Chinese proverb states, “We are not so much concerned if you are slow as when you come to a halt.” Consider, also, that a less-used definition of the word is that of "lame" or disabled, which still ties in with the idea of stopping.