Produktion

Forms

Produktion f (genitive Produktion, plural Produktionen)^[1]

Etymology

In its modern senses it is borrowed from French production, taken over in the 18th century.^[2][3] The word had already been used in German in the second half of the 16th century, after Latin prōductiō (“a leading forth, lengthening”), in the senses “leading out, postponement, extension”.^[2] The French noun continues the Latin one, which belongs to prōdūcō (“to lead forward, bring forth”), formed prō- and dūcō (“to lead, draw”).^[4][2][5] In French the noun was attached in meaning to produire (“to produce”).^[3]

The verb produzieren was borrowed from Latin in the 17th century, and Produkt, produktiv and Produzent belong to the same group.^[4][2] The Latin verb is related to the Germanic family of ziehen.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the second half of the 16th century Produktion meant “leading out, postponement, delay, extension”, after the Latin noun.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In the 18th century, under French influence, it came to mean “bringing forth, presentation, performance”, and in the 19th century “the making of goods, manufacture”, also “what is made, the whole output”.^[2] The sense “artistic performance, act”, as in a circus or riding school, is now dated.^[5] Later uses include the making of a film, a record or a broadcast, and the finished work itself.^[6][7]

Timeline

• Second half of the 16th century – Produktion is used in the sense “leading out, postponement, extension”.^[2]
• 17th century – The verb produzieren is borrowed from Latin.^[4]
• 18th century – The word takes the senses of French production: “bringing forth, presentation, performance”.^[2][3]
• 19th century – First record of the sense “manufacture of goods”.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (economics) The making of goods; manufacture, production.^[5][6]
2. The goods produced; the whole output of something, or a single product.^[5]
3. (colloquial) The part of a firm that makes its products; production work.^[5]
4. The making of a film, record, or radio or television programme, and the finished work.^[6][7]
5. (dated) An artistic performance, an act.^[5]
6. (computing, linguistics) A rule of a formal grammar describing a permitted replacement.^[7]

Word family

• Reproduktion

Related words

• produzieren
• Produkt
• produktiv
• Produzent

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
3. ^ a b c Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2007), 4th ed., Duden vol. 7, Mannheim: Dudenverlag
4. ^ a b c d Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 724
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 Duden. Das Fremdwörterbuch (2007), 9th ed., Duden vol. 5, Mannheim: Dudenverlag
7. ^ a b c Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org