Etymologically

Etymology and origin of the German word Ausgabe

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
mid-14th century, Zwickau law book
Inherited from
Middle High German ūzgābe
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic (*gebaną)

Pronunciation

  • /ˈaʊ̯sˌɡaːbə/[1]

Forms

Ausgabe f (genitive Ausgabe, plural Ausgaben)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German ūzgābe, a noun formed to the verb ausgeben, from aus and geben.[1][2][3] The verb is Middle High German ūzgeben, Old High German ūzgeban.[4] The same formation is Dutch uitgave.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The revised Grimms' dictionary has its first record from a Zwickau law book of 1348–1358, where ûzgabe is the giving away of a bride in marriage.[5] Paul finds it from about 1400 mainly for money spent, as the opposite of Einnahme.[3]

Semantic evolution

Early New High German used ausgabe for costs, for a settlement of property and the contract fixing it, and for a proposition put forward.[6] The issuing of money is recorded in a proverb of 1630, falsche müntz gilt nichts, weder in der außgab noch einnahm, “false coin is worth nothing, neither in paying out nor in taking in”.[5] Adelung around 1800 gives the handing out of letters at the post office and the publishing of a book.[7]

The sense “edition” is a loan translation of Latin editio and French édition, listed by Frisch in 1741.[3] Campe in 1807 set an Ausgabe, with changes to the text, apart from a mere Auflage, and Goethe's Ausgabe letzter Hand of 1827 onwards made the term familiar;[3] Prachtausgabe “luxury edition” is in Campe too.[3] In computing Ausgabe renders English output, the opposite of Eingabe.[3][1]

Timeline

  • 1348–1358 – ûzgabe appears in a Zwickau law book.[5]
  • c. 1400 – Used for money spent, opposite to Einnahme.[3]
  • 1630 – A proverb uses it for the issuing of coin.[5]
  • 1741 – Frisch lists the sense “edition”.[3]
  • 1807 – Campe distinguishes Ausgabe from Auflage.[3]
  • 20th century – The computing sense “output” appears.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The giving out, distribution or handing over of something: die Ausgabe der Schulbücher.[8][1]
  2. (banking, post) The issue of shares, banknotes or stamps.[8][1]
  3. The place where something is handed out; a counter.[8]
  4. (mostly plural) expenditure, money spent: Im Urlaub hatten wir hohe Ausgaben.[8][1]
  5. An edition of a printed work: eine kommentierte Ausgabe der Gedichte.[8][1]
  6. An issue of a newspaper or magazine; one broadcast of a regular programme.[8][1]
  7. (computing) output.[1][3]

Word family

  • Erstausgabe
  • Sonderausgabe
  • Gesamtausgabe
  • Prachtausgabe
  • Taschenbuchausgabe

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
  4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  5. ^ a b c d 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, 1073
  6. ^ Anderson, Robert R.; Goebel, Ulrich; Reichmann, Oskar, eds. (1989–), Frühneuhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter; FWB-online, fwb-online.de
  7. ^ Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf
  8. ^ a b c d e f Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag

Related etymologies

  • dass · also from Middle High German
  • nach · also from Middle High German
  • können · also from Middle High German
  • dieser · also from Middle High German
  • bei · also from Middle High German
  • als · also from Middle High German
  • auch · also from Middle High German
  • er · also from Middle High German
Cite this entry

“Ausgabe.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/de/Ausgabe. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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