Kandidat

Forms

Kandidat m (genitive Kandidaten, plural Kandidaten, feminine Kandidatin)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin candidātus (“candidate for office”), borrowed in the 16th century.^[2][3][4] The Latin noun is the adjective “dressed in white” used as a noun, from candidus (“shining white, spotless”), from candeō (“to shine, glow”).^[2][3] In Rome it named a man seeking a public office, who wore a toga whitened with chalk while he canvassed.^[2][5] The same loan is Dutch kandidaat, English candidate, French candidat and Swedish kandidat.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word first belonged to the language of the universities, for a candidate for an academic degree: the statutes of Heidelberg University of 1580 speak of die candidaten, so das magisterium begern, “the candidates who seek the master's degree”.^[4][6][3] The older form was often Candidate.^[4]

Semantic evolution

In the 18th century it was used especially of young theologians who took posts before their examination, as in Gellert's fable of 1746 about ein sehr geschickter Kandidat, and at the same time it widened to anyone applying for an office.^[4][3] Paul dates the general sense “someone considered for something” to the 18th century, with Wahlkandidat from 1790, Todeskandidat “someone doomed to die” from 1844 and the joking Heiratskandidat from 1847.^[6] Kandidatur and kandidieren followed in the 19th century, Kandidatur perhaps after French candidature.^[6][3] In the Soviet Union and the GDR Kandidat was also a probationary member of the party and an academic degree.^[7]

Timeline

• 1580 – First record, in the statutes of Heidelberg University.^[4]
• 1746 – Gellert uses it of a young preacher before his examination.^[4]
• 18th century – The general sense “applicant for an office” appears.^[3][6]
• 1790 – Wahlkandidat is first recorded.^[6]
• 19th century – Kandidatur and kandidieren are formed.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. A candidate, someone who applies for something or stands for election: Die Partei stellt einen jungen Kandidaten auf.^[7][1]
2. (historical, in socialist countries) A probationary member of a party.^[7]
3. An advanced university student; an examinee in a final university examination (abbreviated cand.).^[7]
4. (historical, Soviet Union) An academic degree, as Kandidat der Wissenschaften.^[7]

Word family

• Kandidatin
• Kandidatur
• kandidieren
• Todeskandidat

Related words

• Kandelaber

References

1. ^ a b c 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. 469
3. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2014), 5th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin / Mannheim / Zürich: Dudenverlag, p. 426
6. ^ a b c d e f 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 c d e Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag