Etymologically
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April

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Pronunciation

Forms

April m (genitive April or Aprils, plural Aprile)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German aberelle, inherited from Old High German abrello, borrowed from Latin Aprīlis (“April”).[2][3][4] The borrowing replaced the native Old High German ōstarmānōd (“Easter month”) (see Ostern).[2][3]

The early forms with -e-, which lasted in Upper German into the 16th century, point to a form Medieval Latin *aƀrel- with a voiced labial fricative, as in French avril, and a vowel lowered from /iː/ to /e/; the doubled -ll- is found only in High German, and the weak masculine inflection followed the month names Old High German merzo (“March”) and meie (“May”).[4][5] Under learned Latin influence these forms gave way to abrille and aprille, and the present form prevailed in the 18th century.[4][6]

The Latin name, that of the second month of the old Roman year beginning in March, is of uncertain origin.[3][7] Pfeifer and the revised Grimms' dictionary see in it most probably a comparative formation meaning “the second, following (month)”, from Proto-Indo-European *apo- (“off, away”) (compare aber).[3][6] Kluge mentions a connection with Ancient Greek Ἀφροδίτη (Aphrodítē) (Roman Venus), and Wahrig also lists aprīcus (“sunny”) and aperiō (“to open”).[2][8] The last explanation, from the ancient authors, is repeated in a Middle High German natural history from Mainau: the month opens the pores of the earth and the trees.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German abrello occurs three times in glosses, all of the 12th century and so already Middle High German in date; twice it stands beside ostermanoth as a synonym.[4][9] Heinrich von Veldeke, about 1170–1190, writes in den aprillen / sô dî blûmen springen (“in April, when the flowers spring up”).[6]

Semantic evolution

April appeared in many variants from Middle High German on, often still treated as a foreign word (mensis Aprilis), and replaced the native ōstermānōt only slowly, finally in the 18th and 19th centuries.[3] The weak inflection survives in Aprillenwetter and in proverbs such as Abraham a Sancta Clara's wie das wetter im aprilen “like the weather in April”.[4][6] Aprilwetter, changeable cool weather, is recorded in 1529.[10]

The custom of April fools reached Germany from France, probably in the late 16th century; the Duden mentions that Charles IX moved New Year's Day from 1 April to 1 January in 1564.[11][7] Jemanden in den April schicken is recorded from 1618,[10][7] and Aprilnarr (1697) follows English April fool.[10]

Timeline

  • 12th century – Old High German abrello in glosses.[4][2]
  • c. 1170–1190 – Heinrich von Veldeke uses aprille.[6]
  • 1265 – Aberelle appears in charters.[12]
  • 1529 – Aprilwetter is recorded.[10]
  • 1618 – First record of jemanden in den April schicken.[10]
  • 1697 – Aprilnarr, after English April fool.[10]
  • 18th century – The form April prevails.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. April, the fourth month of the year; abbreviated Apr.[13][1]

Interjection

  1. April, April!: a mocking call to someone who has been made an April fool.[13][1]

Word family

  • Aprilscherz
  • Aprilwetter
  • Aprilnarr
  • Ostern

Usage notes

Jemanden in den April schicken is to make someone an April fool on 1 April, usually with a pointless errand.[13][7] The proverb April, April, der weiß nicht, was er will refers to the changeable weather of the month.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 55
  3. ^ a b c d e Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. 1, 26
  5. ^ Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob Grimm und Wilhelm Grimm, Neubearbeitung (1965–2018), ed. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften and Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, 9 vols. (A–F), Leipzig / Stuttgart: Hirzel
  6. ^ a b c d e f Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob Grimm und Wilhelm Grimm, Neubearbeitung (1965–2018), ed. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften and Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, 9 vols. (A–F), Leipzig / Stuttgart: Hirzel, p. 3, 172
  7. ^ a b c d Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag, p. 104
  8. ^ Wahrig-Burfeind, Renate, ed., Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch, Gütersloh / München: Wissen Media Verlag; online edition at wissen.de
  9. ^ Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch (1952–), founded by Elisabeth Karg-Gasterstädt and Theodor Frings, Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag / De Gruyter; online awb.saw-leipzig.de, p. 1, 19
  10. ^ a b c d e f Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
  11. ^ Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 1, 538
  12. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  13. ^ a b c Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag