Schluss

Forms

Schluss m (genitive Schlusses, plural Schlüsse)^[1] Older spelling: Schluß.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German sluz (“end; knot”), formed with ablaut to the verb schließen, like Middle Low German slūt.^[2][1][3] The verb is Middle High German sliezen, Old High German sliozan, which Kluge compares with Latin claudō (“to close”) and clāvis (“key, bolt”), so that “to close” first meant “to put a bolt on”.^[4] The same formation is Dutch slot, and English slot is related.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Late Middle High German sluz is recorded about 1375, rarely, meaning “closing end” and “knot”;^[3][2][5] Köbler finds it in Suchenwirt, in the second half of the 14th century.^[3][2][5]

Semantic evolution

In older legal language the word was widespread for “resolution, decision, decree” from the 16th century, and as late as the 18th century it could stand for Beschluss or Entschluss, as in Schiller's sie haben ihren letzten Schluß gefaßt in Wien “they have taken their final decision in Vienna”.^[2][3] Today this survives in Ratschluss.^[3] In philosophy it took the sense “inference, conclusion” in the 17th century, where Old High German had used sloz and Early New High German Sloßrede;^[2][3] Kant defined a Schluss as the derivation of one judgement from another.^[2][3]

The temporal sense “end, final part” dates from the 17th century and is now the main one, as in Schluss der Debatte and the call Schluss!.^[2][3] Adelung also records it for the place where two parts join, as in scissors or a shell, and in riding for a firm grip of the rider's thighs.^[6] The phrase Schluss machen means “to stop work”, “to end a relationship” and also “to take one's own life”.^[3] Czech and Slovak šlus and Hungarian slussz are loans from German.^[1][7]

Timeline

• c. 1375 – Late Middle High German sluz is first recorded.^[3]
• 16th century – The legal sense “decision, decree” spreads.^[2]
• 17th century – The senses “logical conclusion” and “end” appear.^[2]
• 18th century – Schluss for “decision” is still usual in Schiller and Goethe.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. The end, the point at which something stops; the last stage: Zum Schluss bedankte sie sich bei allen Helfern.^[8][1] In Schluss machen: to stop work; to break up with someone.^[8][3]
2. The final part of something, as of a book, a speech or a piece of music.^[3][9]
3. A logical conclusion, an inference: aus den Zahlen einen Schluss ziehen.^[1][3]
4. A closing, a tight fit; in electrical engineering a contact, a short circuit.^[9][3]

Word family

• Schlussfolgerung
• schlüssig
• Schlusslicht
• Schlusspunkt
• Schlussstrich
• Schlusswort
• Kurzschluss
• Trugschluss
• Rückschluss

Related words

• Abschluss
• Anschluss
• Aufschluss
• Ausschluss
• Beschluss
• Einschluss
• Entschluss
• Fehlschluss
• Ratschluss
• schließen
• Schloss
• Schlüssel

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 d e f g h i j k l m n o Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
4. ^ Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 811
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
6. ^ Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf
7. ^ Lehnwortportal Deutsch (2012–), Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache, Mannheim, lwp.ids-mannheim.de
8. ^ a b Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
9. ^ a b Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org