Etymologically
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übernehmen

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Pronunciation

  • /ˌʔyːbɐˈneːmən/[1]

Forms

übernehmen (class 4 strong, third-person singular present übernimmt, past tense übernahm, past participle übernommen, past subjunctive übernähme, auxiliary haben)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German übernemen, inherited from Old High German ubarneman (“to overcome”), formed from Old High German ubar (“over”) + neman (“to take”), in today's terms über and nehmen.[2][3][1][4] The base verb is *nemaną (“to take”), whose further connections are unclear.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German ubarneman appears in Notker, around 1000, meaning “to overcome”.[2] Middle High German übernemen, recorded from about 1230 in Diu Crône, meant “to take too much, to presume, to get the upper hand”, also “to undertake” and, reflexively, “to take on too much”.[3]

Semantic evolution

In the 14th century the verb meant “to overpower”, said of a state of mind: Adelung records der Trunk hat ihn übernommen “drink overcame him”, and Kleist and Mörike still write of a feeling or longing that übernahm someone.[6] In the 18th century jemanden übernehmen could mean “to overcharge someone”, as in Lichtenberg.[6] The sense “to overstrain” is old too: reflexive sich übernehmen “to take on too much”, first of eating and drinking, dates from the 15th century and is still current.[6]

The sense that dominates today, “to receive, take over, take upon oneself” (a property, goods, an office, a task, a duty), is not the oldest one: the Grimms' dictionary finds it only from the 17th century.[7][6] It is the counterpart of übergeben “to hand over”, and the noun Übernahme belongs to it.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1000 – Notker uses ubarneman “to overcome”.[2]
  • c. 1230 – Middle High German übernemen in Diu Crône.[3]
  • 14th century – The sense “to overpower”, and the noun Übernahme.[6]
  • 15th century – Reflexive sich übernehmen, of eating and drinking.[6]
  • 17th century – The sense “to take over, take on” is first recorded.[7]
  • 18th century – jemanden übernehmen “to overcharge someone”, in Lichtenberg.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To receive what is handed over: die Schlüssel übernehmen.[8]
  2. To take over as a successor: sie übernahm die Bäckerei ihrer Mutter.[8][1]
  3. To accept a task or office and its duties: die Leitung des Projekts übernehmen; also with die Kosten, die Verantwortung, die Haftung.[8][1]
  4. To take staff into one's service: die Belegschaft wurde vom Käufer übernommen.[8]
  5. To adopt something from someone else: eine Formulierung wörtlich übernehmen.[8][1]
  6. (reflexive) To overexert oneself, take on too much: er hat sich beim Umzug übernommen.[8][1]
  7. (Austria, colloquial) To dupe someone.[8]
  8. (dated) Of a feeling: to overcome someone.[8][6]

Word family

  • Übernahme
  • Übernehmer

Usage notes

These senses belong to the inseparable verb, stressed on -neh- (übernahm, übernommen). A separable übernehmen (nahm über, übergenommen) means colloquially “to sling over one's shoulder” and, at sea, “to ship water” or “to take on board”.[9][8] The Grimms' dictionary also treats it as a separable verb.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  4. ^ Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
  5. ^ Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 651
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
  7. ^ a b c Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 23, 436
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Duden. Deutsches Universalwörterbuch (2007), 6th ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
  9. ^ Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag