Etymology

From Middle Low GermanCategory:German terms derived from Middle Low German#HALFTE helfte, derived from half (“half”). The form entered Early Modern German via Central German. Equivalent to halb (“half”) +‎ -teCategory:German terms suffixed with -te#HALFTE. The alternation -b- ↔ -ft- has not been levelled, probably because the same alternation occurs also—for different reasons—in native High German words (compare schreiben ↔ Schrift). Cognate with Dutch helft.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛlftə/Category:German 2-syllable words#HALFTECategory:German terms with IPA pronunciation#HALFTE

• Audio:

  (file)

  Category:German terms with audio pronunciation#HALFTE

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

  Category:German terms with audio pronunciation#HALFTE

Noun

Hälfte f (genitive Hälfte, plural Hälften)Category:German lemmas#HALFTECategory:German nouns#HALFTECategory:German entries with incorrect language header#HALFTECategory:German feminine nouns#HALFTECategory:Pages with entries#HÄLFTECategory:Pages with 1 entry#HÄLFTE

1. half; fifty percent of something

   Jeder von uns kriegt die Hälfte.

   Each of us gets half.

   Category:German terms with usage examples#HALFTE

2. half, share; any of two correlating pieces, whatever the size

   Ich will die größere Hälfte!

   I want the bigger half!

   Category:German terms with usage examples#HALFTE

3. (chiefly informalCategory:German informal terms#HALFTE) middle; the virtual line where two equal halves meet

   Hier ist die Hälfte vom Spielfeld.

   This is the middle of the pitch.

   Category:German terms with usage examples#HALFTE

Further reading

• “Hälfte”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎ (in German)
• “Hälfte” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Hälfte” in Duden online
• Hälfte on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de