hälfte

Hälfte is a German noun meaning one of two equal parts of a whole. It is feminine: die Hälfte, with the plural die Hälften. The term is used for both a physical division, as in two halves of an object, and a conceptual division, such as the two parts of a whole over time or distance.

In mathematics and everyday use, die Hälfte denotes 1/2 of a quantity. The related verb is halieren or etwas halbieren, meaning to halve something or divide it into two equal parts. For example, die Hälfte von sechs ist drei (half of six is three) or Wir teilen den Kuchen in zwei Hälften (We divide the cake into two halves). The word also appears in phrases describing portions, such as eine halbe Stunde (half an hour), though this uses the adjective form halbe rather than the noun Hälte.

Common constructions include die erste Hälfte des Jahres (the first half of the year), die zweite Hälfte des Weges (the second half of the way), and in der Hälfte des Weges (at or halfway along the way). Die Hälfte is frequently contrasted with the other half, die andere Hälfte, to emphasize the division of a whole into two parts of equal size.

Etymology and cognates: die Hälfte comes from the Germanic root for half, shared with related languages. It is cognate with Dutch helft and English half, reflecting a common Proto-Germanic origin for the concept of half and its nominal forms.

See also: Halbzeit (halftime), Halbjahr (half year), Teil (part), Bruch (fraction).