Etymologically
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Information

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Pronunciation

  • /ˌɪnfɔʁmaˈtsjoːn/, [ˌʔɪnfɔɐ̯maˈtsjoːn][1]

Forms

Information f (genitive Information, plural Informationen, diminutive Informatiönchen n)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin īnfōrmātiō (“formation; instruction”), a noun from īnfōrmō (“to shape; to instruct”), from in- and fōrmō (“to shape, form”), from fōrma (“shape, form”).[2][3][4][5] The verb informieren was borrowed earlier, in the 14th century, and Paul records it in 1418.[2][3][6] Like the verb, the German noun took over only the figurative sense of the Latin word, “instruction, teaching”, not “shaping”.[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Paul gives a first record of 1467, in the form informaci, meaning “instruction”.[6] Pfeifer dates the noun to the 15th century, while the 2007 Duden dictionary dates it to the 16th.[3][7] The Early New High German dictionary records the senses “idea, image of something” and “teaching, instruction”,[8] and the Deutsches Fremdwörterbuch notes the form Jnformation in Luther.[9]

Semantic evolution

Into the 19th century the noun still meant “instruction, teaching”, and Informator, recorded in 1571, meant a private tutor until then.[6][3] With the growth of the press it came to mean “message, news”;[6] Wahrig links its value as a commodity to the first news agencies of the 19th century.[4] In the 20th century it became a term of science and technology, as in Informationstheorie, and Karl Steinbuch coined Informatik “computer science” from the same stem in 1957.[6][3]

The clipped form Info came up in the wake of the student movement of 1968.[6] Wahrig calls the word one of the most important internationalisms, which is why the pictogram “i” marks a place where information is given.[4]

Timeline

  • 1418 – The verb informieren is recorded.[6]
  • 1467 – First record of the noun, as informaci.[6]
  • 1571 – Informator “tutor” is recorded.[6]
  • 1853 – informativ appears in Heyse's dictionary.[6]
  • 1957 – Karl Steinbuch coins Informatik.[3]
  • Late 1960s – The clipping Info comes into use.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (uncountable) The act of informing or being informed: zu Ihrer Information.[5][1]
  2. A detailed, often official communication giving the facts about someone or something, usually on request: Weitere Informationen gibt es im Rathaus.[5][1]
  3. (usually plural) A piece of news or a hint that tells someone about an important matter; intelligence: Nach ersten Informationen gab es keine Verletzten.[5][1]
  4. (computing, cybernetics) The content of a message made up of the signs of a code.[5][10]
  5. An information desk: Fragen Sie an der Information![5][1]

Word family

  • Desinformation
  • Info
  • Fehlinformation

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 444
  3. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Wahrig-Burfeind, Renate, ed., Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch, Gütersloh / München: Wissen Media Verlag; online edition at wissen.de
  5. ^ a b c d e f Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2007), 4th ed., Duden vol. 7, Mannheim: Dudenverlag
  8. ^ Anderson, Robert R.; Goebel, Ulrich; Reichmann, Oskar, eds. (1989–), Frühneuhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter; FWB-online, fwb-online.de
  9. ^ 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
  10. ^ Duden. Das Fremdwörterbuch (2007), 9th ed., Duden vol. 5, Mannheim: Dudenverlag