Energie

Forms

Energie f (genitive Energie, plural Energien)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French énergie, from Late Latin energīa (“effectiveness”), from Ancient Greek ἐνέργεια (enérgeia, “activity, effective force”).^[2][3][4] Pfeifer and the DFWB date the borrowing to the first half of the 18th century.^[3][4] The Greek noun belongs to the adjective ἐνεργής (energḗs, “active, effective”) (Duden names ἐνεργός (energós) instead), formed from ἐν (en, “in”) and ἔργον (érgon, “work”), which is related to Werk.^[3][5][1]

The DWB revision distinguishes a second, later borrowing: the physical term came in the 19th century from the scientific use of English energy.^[6] The same Greek word lies behind Allergie, Chirurg and Liturgie.^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DFWB's first record (1732) is Zinzendorf's remark that some French and Latin words had been kept “for the sake of greater Energie”, that is, force of expression.^[4][7] Zedler's lexicon (1734) still has the Greek form Energeia, “the effect or emphasis, force of a thing”.^[4][7]

Semantic evolution

At first the word meant “vigour, strength of will” and “emphasis”.^[7] In the last third of the 18th century Herder used it for an active force, and French revolutionary writings, in which énergie was a catchword, spread it further.^[3][7][6] The adjective energisch “energetic” was formed in the 18th century after French énergique.^[5]

The physical concept of energy as stored work or capacity for work was defined in 1800 by the Englishman Thomas Young.^[7] In German the physicists' Energie displaced the older term Kraft, taken from mechanics, in the second half of the 19th century, and Kluge notes that the progress of 19th-century physics shapes the present understanding of the word.^[6][2]

Timeline

• 1732 – First record, in Zinzendorf, in the sense “force of expression”.^[4][7]
• 1734 – Zedler's lexicon explains the Greek form Energeia.^[4]
• 1787 – Herder uses the word for an active force.^[7]
• late 18th century – The French Revolution spreads it as a catchword.^[3][6]
• 1800 – Thomas Young gives energy its physical definition.^[7]
• second half of the 19th century – Energie replaces Kraft as the term of physics.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. vigour, drive: physical and mental strength used with determination and persistence: Mit viel Energie baute sie den Verein wieder auf.^[8][9]
2. (rare) emphasis, resolution in speaking or demanding.^[8]
3. (physics) energy: the capacity of a substance, body or system to do work: Beim Verbrennen von Holz wird Energie frei.^[8][9][1]

Word family

• energisch

Related words

• Werk
• Allergie
• Chirurg
• Liturgie
• Organ
• English energy

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 245
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 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
5. ^ a b c Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2014), 5th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin / Mannheim / Zürich: Dudenverlag, p. 252
6. ^ a b c d e 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. 8, 1311
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
8. ^ a b c Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
9. ^ a b Duden. Das Fremdwörterbuch (2007), 9th ed., Duden vol. 5, Mannheim: Dudenverlag