Etymologically
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Feuerwehr

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈfɔɪ̯ɐˌveːɐ̯/[1]

Forms

Feuerwehr f (genitive Feuerwehr, plural Feuerwehren)[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from German Feuer (“fire”) + Wehr (“defence”), formed on the model of Landwehr, in which the second part names a body of men organised for defence.[2][3] The word came up with the volunteer fire brigades founded in Germany, the first in Meißen in 1841.[2][4]

The first part is Old High German fiur, related to Old English fȳr and Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr), from Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ (“fire”).[4][5][6] The second, “defence”, is a back-formation from wehren.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word appears in 1841 with the volunteer fire brigade of Meißen, a body trained to put out fires.[2][4][3] A handbook of firefighting of 1850 says that everyone has an interest in an excellent Feuerwehr.[8]

Semantic evolution

Besides the organisation itself, the word came to mean the firefighters at work, and in children's language a toy fire engine.[9] Modern fire brigades also deal with other emergencies and disasters, and their definition has widened accordingly.[9][8] Figuratively, someone sent to deal with a crisis is called the Feuerwehr.[9] The Dutch brandweer is a calque of the German word, and it was passed on to Indonesian and Papiamentu.[1]

Timeline

  • 1841 – The first volunteer Feuerwehr is founded in Meißen.[2]
  • 1850 – Magirus writes about the institution of the Feuerwehr.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A fire brigade or fire department, which fights fires and helps in disasters;[9][1] die freiwillige Feuerwehr is staffed by volunteers.[9][1]
  2. (colloquial) The firefighters on duty, or their vehicles;[9] wie die Feuerwehr fahren is to drive very fast.[9]
  3. (children's language) A toy fire engine.[9]

Word family

  • Feuerwehrmann
  • Feuerwehrfrau
  • Feuerwehrauto
  • Feuerwehrhaus
  • Feuerwehrschlauch
  • Berufsfeuerwehr
  • Feuerwehrwagen
  • Feuer
  • Wehr
  • Landwehr
  • wehren

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. 291
  3. ^ a b Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 3, 1607
  4. ^ a b c Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
  5. ^ Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. 3, 330
  6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  7. ^ Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 976
  8. ^ a b c 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. 9, 459
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag