Etymologically
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Anlass

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Pronunciation

Forms

Anlass m (genitive Anlasses, plural Anlässe)[1] Older spelling: Anlaß.[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German anlāz, also anelāz, which first named the place where a race is started, from an and the verb lassen “to let go”, as in loslassen.[2][3] The verb is Old High German lāzzan, from Proto-Germanic *lētaną, also found in Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐍄𐌰𐌽 (lētan) and Old Norse láta;[4] English let is the same word.[4] Kluge compares Lithuanian léisti (“to let, let go”), though the root needed to unite them is not without problems.[4] The verb anlassen and the noun Anlasser “starter” keep closer to the old sense.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler finds Middle High German anelāz in the poem Pilatus (about 1180), and gives it the senses “starting point of a race, beginning, occasion”.[3] Kluge dates the word to the 15th century, with the present sense from the 19th.[2]

Semantic evolution

From the starting point of a race, the meaning was widened to “beginning” and then to “cause”.[2][5] Since the 19th century the word has also meant an event or occasion.[2] In Switzerland it is the usual word for a social or sporting event, a party or a gathering.[6][1] The derivative anlässlich “on the occasion of” is a common preposition.[1]

Timeline

  • About 1180 – Middle High German anelāz in Pilatus.[3]
  • 15th century – Kluge's date for the word in German.[2]
  • 19th century – The sense “event, occasion” appears.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A cause, reason or outward motive: Es gibt keinen Anlass zur Sorge.;[6][1] aus gegebenem Anlass “for a specific reason”.[6][1]
  2. An occasion, event: Für festliche Anlässe trägt er einen Anzug.[6][5]
  3. (Switzerland) A social event or gathering.[6][1]

Word family

  • anlässlich
  • veranlassen
  • anlasslos

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 47
  3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  4. ^ a b c Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 560
  5. ^ a b Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
  6. ^ a b c d e Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag