Diskussion

Forms

Diskussion f (genitive Diskussion, plural Diskussionen, diminutive Diskussiönchen n)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin discussiō (“examination”), in Classical Latin “a shaking”, the action noun of discutiō (“to strike apart, shatter, (Late Latin) to examine, discuss”).^[2][3][4] That verb is formed from Latin dis- + quatiō (“to shake, strike”).^[2][5] The Duden dictionary connects the Latin verb with schütten.^[5] The verb diskutieren was borrowed in the 16th or early 17th century, probably through French discuter.^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first records are legal: the revised Grimm dictionary quotes Perneder's handbook of court procedure of 1532, which says the reasons for nullity often need a closer discussion “examination”; the German Dictionary of Foreign Words dates the same passage 1543.^[6][3] In older legal language the word also named the court proceedings of a bankruptcy (1714).^[6]

Semantic evolution

The word was rare until the beginning of the 18th century, when it became frequent in the modern sense “exchange of opinions, argument about a contested subject”.^[3][2] Lessing in 1769 hoped his conjecture would at least prompt eine nähere discussion.^[6] In the 20th century the senses “talk, exchange of views” and “public debate” increased greatly, especially in political life, beside Debatte and Diskurs.^[6][3]

Timeline

• 1532 – First record in Perneder's legal handbook.^[6]
• 1700 – An early record of the sense “friendly exchange of views”.^[3]
• 1714 – The legal sense “bankruptcy proceedings” in Westphalian town law.^[6]
• 1769 – Lessing uses it of a scholarly exchange.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. A discussion, an exchange of opinions among several people on a subject, often with a chair: nach dem Referat folgte eine lange Diskussion.^[4][1]
2. An argument between individuals about questions that concern them: er wollte sich auf keine Diskussion einlassen.^[4]
3. Public debate in the press, on television or among the population: die Diskussion über die Rente.^[4][7]

Word family

• Diskussionsleiter

Related words

• diskutieren
• diskutabel
• indiskutabel
• Diskurs

Usage notes

Etwas zur Diskussion stellen is to put something up for discussion, and zur Diskussion stehen is to be under discussion.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
3. ^ a b c d e Schulz, Hans; Basler, Otto, et al. (1913–1988), Deutsches Fremdwörterbuch, 7 vols., Strasbourg / Berlin: Trübner / De Gruyter; 2nd ed., ed. Gerhard Strauß et al. (1995–), Berlin / New York: De Gruyter; via OWID, Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache
4. ^ a b c d e Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
5. ^ a b c Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2007), 4th ed., Duden vol. 7, Mannheim: Dudenverlag
6. ^ a b c d e f g 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. 6, 1141
7. ^ Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org