der Halbmond
half moon
The appearance of the moon in which only a crescent-shaped half is visible from Earth.
EXAMPLE
Gestern Nacht stand ein schmaler Halbmond am Himmel.
Last night there was a narrow half moon in the sky.
der Halbmond
crescent / half moon
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
der Halbmond
crescent
A symbol or ornament in the shape of a crescent moon, especially associated with Islam.
EXAMPLE
Die Flagge der Türkei zeigt einen Halbmond und einen Stern.
The flag of Turkey shows a crescent and a star.
der Halbmond
crescent pastry
A pastry baked in the shape of a crescent moon.
EXAMPLE
Zum Kaffee hat meine Oma leckere Nuss-Halbmonde gebacken.
My grandma baked delicious nut crescents to have with coffee.
Usage tips
Compound structure
The word is a clear compound of 'halb' (half) and 'der Mond' (the moon). It therefore literally describes a moon of which only half can be seen.
EXAMPLE
Bei klarem Himmel kann man den Halbmond gut erkennen.
When the sky is clear, you can see the half moon well.
Context clues
You can recognize the meaning from the context: In connection with the sky, it refers to the moon. In texts about flags or religion, the symbol is meant. When the topic is food or baking, it refers to the pastry.
EXAMPLE
Der zunehmende Halbmond war am Abendhimmel sichtbar.
The waxing half moon was visible in the evening sky.
Typical collocations
When referring to the pastry, 'Halbmond' (crescent pastry) is often combined with an ingredient to describe the filling or flavor. Typical examples are 'Nuss-Halbmond' (nut crescent), 'Mohn-Halbmond' (poppy-seed crescent), or 'Vanille-Halbmond' (vanilla crescent).
EXAMPLE
Diese Bäckerei ist für ihre leckeren Nuss-Halbmonde bekannt.
This bakery is known for its delicious nut crescents.
Compare with
Halbmond vs Sichel
sickle
Sichel and Halbmond describe visible shapes of the moon. Sichel usually refers to the moon’s narrow, curved shape shortly after or shortly before a new moon. Halbmond is appropriate when approximately half of the visible lunar disk is illuminated.
Halbmond
Eine Woche nach Neumond stand am Abend der Halbmond am Himmel.
A week after the new moon, the half moon was in the evening sky.
Sichel
Kurz nach Neumond erschien am Abend eine schmale Sichel am Himmel.
Shortly after the new moon, a narrow crescent appeared in the evening sky.
In real life
Loading video examples...