German–English dictionary

Halbjahr

The period of time equal to half a year; normally referred to as 6 months, but a half-year is more exactly 182.5 days (without a leap day)

halbjährlich

Occurring twice a year; semiannual.

Halbleiterscheibe

(electronics) A thin disk of silicon or other semiconductor on which an electronic circuit is produced.

Halbling

(fantasy) A fictional small humanoid creature featuring in fantasy fiction; a hobbit.

Halbmesser

(geometry) The length of this line segment.

Halbmonatsschrift

A publication issued fortnightly (once every two weeks).

Halbmond

The figure of the moon as it appears between its first or last quarter and the new moon, with concave and convex edges terminating in points.

halboffen

Slightly turned or opened.

halbseiden

(dated) Having an extravagant lifestyle or immoral habits. [from 18th c.]

Halbstarke

(derogatory, chiefly, UK, Irish, Commonwealth, slang) A person who engages in antisocial behaviour or drunkenness.

Halbstarker

One who brawls, engages in noisy, unseemly fights.

Halbvokal

(phonetics) A sound in speech which has some qualities of a consonant and some qualities of a vowel.

halbwegs

Half of the way between two points

Halbwelt

(by extension) A group having little respect or reputation.

halbwildes Pferd

A horse of western North America that is wild or not fully broken.

Halbwissen

A superficial or shallow knowledge of a subject.

Halbwüchsiger

(countable) A young man; a male adolescent or young adult.

Halbzug

(artificial intelligence, combinatorial, _, game theory) In two-player sequential games, a "half-turn" or a move made by one of the players.

Halde

(UK, Irish, Commonwealth) An area or a place for dumping something, such as rubbish or refuse, as from a mine; a heap (see tipple); a dump. [from 19th c.]

Halen

A village in Halen, Hasselt, Limburg, Belgium.

Hälfte

Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect.

hälften

(transitive) To divide into two halves.

Halfter

A bitless headpiece of rope or straps, placed on the head of animals such as cattle or horses to lead or tie them.

Haligonier

A native or inhabitant of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Haligonierin

A native or inhabitant of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

haligonisch

Of, from or relating to the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Halit

(especially) Such a salt with a single halogen atom.

Hall

(audio effects) An electronic effect which simulates echoes or reverberations in the sound signal being processed.

Halle

A large meeting room.

Halleluja

A liturgical form of hallelujah.

hallen

(computing, transitive) To repeat its input as input to some other device or system.

Halljahr

(countable, Jewish, _, history) A special year of emancipation supposed to be observed every fifty years, when farming was temporarily stopped, certain houses and land which had been sold could be redeemed by the original owners or their relatives, and Hebrew slaves set free. [from late 14th c.]

hallo

(rare) Hello; a greeting.

halloho

(colloquial) Used sarcastically to imply that the person addressed has done something the speaker considers to be foolish, or missed something that should have been obvious.

Halloween

The eve of All Hallows' Day; October 31st; celebrated (mostly in English-speaking countries) by children going door-to-door in costume and soliciting candy with menaces.

Hallux Valgus

(colloquial, by extension) Hallux valgus, deviation of the big toe from its normal position towards the other toes, the prime cause for the swelling of its first joint.

Halluzination

A sensory perception of something that does not exist, often arising from disorder of the nervous system, as in delirium tremens.

halluzinatorisch

Partaking of, or tending to produce, hallucination.

halluzinieren

(ambitransitive) To seem to perceive things (with one or more of one's senses) which are not really present; to have visions; to experience a hallucination.

Halluzinogen

Any substance tending to induce hallucination.

Halm

(countable) An individual plant stem.

Halo

The metaphorical aura of glory, veneration or sentiment which surrounds an idealized entity.

Hals

(anatomy) The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.

Hals über Kopf

Tumbling upside down; somersaulting.

halsabschneiderisch

Ruthlessly competitive, dog-eat-dog.

Halsausschnitt

The line formed by the edge of an article of clothing that surrounds the neck, especially as seen at the front.

Halsband

(fashion) A piece of jewelry or ornamental fabric, worn as a necklace or neckerchief, tight to the throat.

halsbrecherisch

Dangerously fast; hell-for-leather.

Halskette

(fashion) A piece of jewelry or ornamental fabric, worn as a necklace or neckerchief, tight to the throat.

Halskrause

A circular frill or ruffle on a garment, especially a starched, fluted frill at the neck in Elizabethan and Jacobean England (1560s–1620s).

Halsschlagader

(anatomy) Either of the two main arteries that supply blood to the head of which the left in humans arises from the arch of the aorta and the right by bifurcation of the brachiocephalic artery with each passing up the side of the neck and dividing opposite the upper border of the thyroid cartilage into an external branch supplying the face, tongue, and external parts of the head and an internal branch supplying the brain, eye, and other internal parts of the head.

halsstarrig

Unyielding and obstinate.

Halstuch

A large kerchief, usually colourful and used either as headgear or as a handkerchief, neckerchief, bikini, or sweatband.

Halswirbelsäulen-Distorsion

(countable) The lash of a whip.

Halswirbelsäulenschleudertrauma

(countable) The lash of a whip.

halt

Stop! Don't do that any more!

haltbar

Able to resist wear or decay; lasting; enduring.

haltbar machen

(transitive) To prepare or alter, especially by chemical or physical processing for keeping or use.

Haltbarkeit

The ability to last a long time by virtue of the power to resist stress or force.

Haltearm

A straight bar that unites moving parts of a machine, for holding parts together as a connecting rod or for transferring power as a driveshaft.

Haltegurt

A rope, cable etc. that holds something in place whilst allowing some movement.

halten

(transitive) To remain faithful to (something or someone); to adhere to (an idea or plan).

halten für

(transitive) To be of opinion (that); to consider, judge, regard, or look upon (something) as.

Halteplatz

(rail) A minor railway station (usually unstaffed) in the United Kingdom.

Halter

A bar for supporting cutting tools.

Haltere

(entomology) A small knobbed structure in some two-winged insects, one of a pair that are flapped rapidly and function as accelerometers to maintain stability in flight.

Halterung

Something or someone that fastens.

Halteseil

A rope, cable etc. that holds something in place whilst allowing some movement.

Haltestange

A vertical pole, post, or support.

Haltestelle

A place where public transport buses stop to allow passengers to board or leave.

Haltestift

A cylindrical wooden or metal object used to fasten or as a bearing between objects.

Haltung

The position of the body or way of carrying oneself.

Halunke

(countable, slang) A cheat, fraudster, or hypocrite.

Halunkin

A mean, worthless fellow; a rascal; a villain; a person without honor or virtue.

Ham

(biblical character) A son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem.

Hama

A city in Syria.

Hamas

A Palestinian Islamist militant group and political organization.

Hämatom

(pathology) A swelling of blood, usually clotted, which forms as a result of broken blood vessels.

Hamburg

The second largest city in, and a state of, Germany.

Hamburger

A person from Hamburg.

Hamburgerin

A person from Hamburg.

Häme

The act of one who gloats.

hämisch freuen

To exhibit a conspicuous (sometimes malevolent) pleasure or sense of self-satisfaction, often at an adversary's misfortune.

hämische Freude

An act or instance of gloating.

Hamlet

The eponymous main character of William Shakespeare's play, whose father's ghost, murdered by Hamlet's uncle, exhorts him to seek revenge.

Hamletbarsche

Any of the fish of the genus Hypoplectrus in the family Serranidae.

Hammel

The meat of sheep used as food.

Hammelfleisch

The meat of sheep used as food.

Hammeltalg

A hard animal fat obtained from suet, etc.; used in cooking as well as to make candles, soap and lubricants.

Hammer

(US, colloquial) Something that is extraordinary: often troublesome, difficult or problematic, but sometimes extraordinary in a positive sense.

hämmern

To strike repeatedly with a hammer, some other implement, the fist, etc.

Hämoglobin

(American spelling) The iron-containing substance in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body; it consists of a protein (globulin), and haem (a porphyrin ring with an atom of iron at its centre).

Hämorrhoide

A pathological condition caused by painful masses of dilated veins in swollen anal tissue.

Hampelfrau

One who jests, jokes or teases.

Hampelmann

One who jests, jokes or teases.

Hampshire

A maritime county in the south of England, United Kingdom bordered by Berkshire, Surrey, West Sussex, Dorset, Wiltshire, the English Channel and the Solent separating it from the Isle of Wight; the county town is Winchester.

Hamsa

A sign used in the written Arabic language representing a glottal stop. Hamza may appear as a stand-alone letter (ء‎) or most commonly diacritically over or under other letters, e.g. أ‎ (over an alif [ا‎]), إ‎ (under an alif), ؤ‎ (over a wāw [و‎]) or ئ‎ (over a dotless yāʾ [ى‎]). The exact seat of hamza is governed by an orthographic rule – the "seat of hamza rule".

Hamster

In particular, a rodent of the species Mesocricetus auratus (the golden hamster) or of a species of the genera Cricetiscus and Phodopus (the dwarf hamsters), often kept as a pet or used in scientific research.

hamstern

(ambitransitive) To secrete or store privately, as a hamster does with food in its cheek pouches.

Hamza

A sign used in the written Arabic language representing a glottal stop. Hamza may appear as a stand-alone letter (ء‎) or most commonly diacritically over or under other letters, e.g. أ‎ (over an alif [ا‎]), إ‎ (under an alif), ؤ‎ (over a wāw [و‎]) or ئ‎ (over a dotless yāʾ [ى‎]). The exact seat of hamza is governed by an orthographic rule – the "seat of hamza rule".

Han

The Chinese ethnicity, when distinguished from other peoples of the Chinese state

Han-Chinesen

The Chinese ethnicity, when distinguished from other peoples of the Chinese state

Han-Dynastie

An imperial Chinese dynasty, ruling (with interruptions) from 206 BC to AD 220, marked by the expansion of the Yellow River's Huaxia culture to the recent conquests of the Qin and a flowering of economic, literary, and scientific development

Hand

The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.

Handarbeit

A trade requiring skill of hand; manual occupation; handcraft.

Handarbeitsprodukt

An artifact produced by handicraft.

Handauflegen

(religion) A practice of laying hands on a person in a religious ceremony; used e.g. in confirmation and ordination.

Handball

(uncountable) A team sport where two teams of seven players each (six players and a goalkeeper) pass and bounce a ball trying to throw it in the goal of the opposing team.

Handballspiel

(uncountable) A team sport where two teams of seven players each (six players and a goalkeeper) pass and bounce a ball trying to throw it in the goal of the opposing team.

Handbesen

A small handheld broom with a small (or no) handle.

Handbreite

(obsolete) A hand's breadth; four inches.

Handbremse

(mechanical engineering, automotive, railroading) The mechanism, particularly the locking hand-operated lever or foot-operated toggle lever in a motorcar or the hand-operated crank on a railcar, which is used to set and release such a brake.

Handbuch

A topically organized book of reference on a certain field of knowledge, regardless of size, but archetypally one to be kept readily at hand.

Handbüchse

A very portable, short firearm, for hand use, which fires bullets or projectiles, such as a handgun, revolver, pistol, or Derringer.

Händedruck

The grasping of hands by two people when greeting, leave-taking, or making an agreement.

Handel

(business) The exchange or buying and selling of commodities; especially the exchange of merchandise, on a large scale, between different places or communities; extended trade or traffic.

Handeln

(countable) A display of behaviour.

Handelnde

A person who acts a part in a theatrical play or (later) in film or television; a dramatic performer. [from 16th c.]

Handels-

Of or pertaining to commerce.

Handelsdünger

(chemistry) A chemical compound created to have the same effect.

Handelsembargo

A ban on trade with another country.

Handelsgut

(business) Anything movable (a good) that is bought and sold. [from 15th c.]

Handelsverbot

A ban on trade with another country.

Handelsware

(business) Anything movable (a good) that is bought and sold. [from 15th c.]

händeringend

Requiring action to prevent bad consequences: urgent, pressing.

Händeschütteln

The grasping of hands by two people when greeting, leave-taking, or making an agreement.

Handfeger

A small handheld broom with a small (or no) handle.

Handfesseln

A fastening consisting of two metal rings, designed to go around a person's wrists, and connected by a chain or hinge.

Handfest

(obsolete) A contract, agreement, covenant; specifically betrothal, espousal.

Handfläche

The inner and somewhat concave part of the human hand or other primate hand that extends from the wrist to the bases of the fingers.

Handgelenk

(anatomy) The complex joint between forearm bones, carpus, and metacarpals where the hand is attached to the arm; the carpus in a narrow sense.

handgemacht

To make by hand and with much skill.

Handgemenge

(especially, military, gaming) A battle fought at close range, (especially) one not involving ranged weapons; hand-to-hand combat; brawling.

Handgranate

(military) A small hand-held explosive device designed to be thrown at an enemy.

Handgreiflichkeiten

(plurale tantum, informal) An impromptu fight with the fists, usually between only two people.

Handgriff

(firearms) The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.

handhabbar

Yielding to control or supervision, direction, or management.

Handhabe

An instrument for effecting a purpose (either literally or figuratively); a tool, or an opportunity or pretext.

Handhaber

(literally) One who handles something (especially manually) or someone.

Handhabung

A touching, controlling, managing, using, taking care of, etc., with the hand or hands, or as with the hands.

Handharmonika

A box-shaped musical instrument played by compressing or expanding its bellows while pressing its buttons or its keys, causing pallets to open, which allow air to flow across strips of brass or steel (reeds).

Handicap

A handicap that holds something back, a drawback, someone or something that is a burden to whoever is required to take care of them; a person or action that exposes others to greater risk.

Handkarren

A cart designed to be pulled or pushed by hand (as opposed to with a beast of burden.)

Handlager

A supply of anything, stored until used; especially, such a supply that is ready for use.

Handlanger

(legal) A person who is not present at a crime, but contributes to it as an assistant or instigator. [from 1414]

Händler

One who deals in goods, especially automobiles; a middleman.

Händlerin

One who earns a living by trading goods or securities.

handlich

Generally able or adroit; handy.

Handlichkeit

The quality or state of being handy.

Handling

A touching, controlling, managing, using, taking care of, etc., with the hand or hands, or as with the hands.