Spliten

Spliten is a Dutch verb meaning to split, divide, or separate something into parts. It can refer to physically breaking an object, to dividing a group or category, or to separating components in a system or mixture. The term is also used metaphorically, for example to split tasks, opinions, or responsibilities into distinct parts.

Etymology: The verb derives from Middle Dutch splitsen or splitten, from Proto-Germanic *splitaną, related to the English word split. The past participle is gesplitst; the noun for the act of splitting is splitsing; the adjective meaning capable of being split is splitsbaar. In different registers, related forms such as opgesplits appear in compound verbs like opsplitsen (to split up).

Usage: Spliten is used with a direct object to indicate what is being separated, and with the part into which it is divided, often clarified by a numeral or a following phrase: Het hout werd in tweeën gesplitst. De groep werd in twee kampen gesplitst. In figurative uses, one can say iemand in twee kampen splitsen, meaning to divide people into two camps. In computing or data contexts, the English loanword splitten may appear in informal language, but standard Dutch tends to use splitsen for general splitting and opsplitsen for “split up” in more explicit contexts.

See also: Splitsing, splitsbaar, opsplitsen.