Etymologically
Log in

Musiker

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 20 October 2026 at 20:21. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ˈmuːzikər/, [ˈmuː.zi.kɐ], [-zɪ-][1]
  • Also, regional: /ˈmʊzikər/[1]

Forms

Musiker m (genitive Musikers, plural Musiker, feminine Musikerin)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from German Musik + -er around 1800.[2][3][1] It was modelled on the older Musikus, which it displaced as the usual word.[1][4]

The base noun was borrowed into Old High German in the 9th century as musica, from Latin mūsica (“(art) of music”), which is Ancient Greek μουσική (mousikḗ, “(art) of the Muses”), from Ancient Greek μοῦσα (moûsa, “Muse”).[5][4][2] The modern stress on the last syllable and the spelling with ⟨k⟩ came in the 17th century under the influence of French musique.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Grimms' dictionary calls Musiker newer than Musikant and Musikus and gives it a nobler tone, quoting Goethe and Voss's Luise (1795).[6] Duden dates it to about 1800 and the feminine Musikerin to the second half of the 19th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

Of the older words, Musikus (about 1500) was the more refined term in Adelung's day but is now only jocular, and Musikant (second half of the 16th century) came to mean a player for dances and entertainment, often slightingly.[4] Musiker took over as the neutral word for a person who plays music, especially for a living, and for a member of an orchestra.[6][7]

Timeline

  • 9th century – Otfrid uses Old High German musica.[4][5]
  • c. 1500 – Musikus is recorded.[4]
  • Second half of the 16th century – Musikant is recorded.[4]
  • 17th century – The spelling Musik and final stress prevail.[4]
  • c. 1800 – Musiker appears.[2][3]
  • Second half of the 19th century – Musikerin appears.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A musician, especially one who plays or works in music professionally.[7][1]
  2. A member of an orchestra; Orchestermusiker.[7][8]

Word family

  • Musikerin
  • Berufsmusiker
  • Orchestermusiker
  • Straßenmusiker

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag, p. 571
  3. ^ a b Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
  5. ^ a b c Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 642
  6. ^ a b Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 12, 2742
  7. ^ a b c Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
  8. ^ Duden. Das Fremdwörterbuch (2007), 9th ed., Duden vol. 5, Mannheim: Dudenverlag