Start

Forms

Start m (genitive Startes or Starts, plural Starts or Starte)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from English start, borrowed in the second half of the 19th century in the language of horse racing.^[2][3][4] The English noun is a nominalization of the verb “to start”, Middle English sterten, Old English sturtian (“to leap up”), which is distantly related to stürzen by ablaut.^[3][5][6][2] The verb starten was borrowed at about the same time.^[7][3] Dutch start and Swedish start were borrowed in the same way.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Sanders' dictionary lists the word in 1871.^[6] The first quotation, from 1872, describes someone stepping up to the start of a steeplechase with a pounding heart.^[4] It first meant the post or place from which racehorses set off, then the beginning of the race itself.^[3][6][4]

Semantic evolution

From horse racing it spread to other sports, such as running, swimming, motor and ski races, with phrases like fliegender Start (recorded 1910) and an den Start gehen; it also came to mean taking part in a contest.^[4][6] In the 20th century it came to mean departure in general, especially the take-off of an aircraft or a rocket, as in Senkrechtstart, and figuratively the start of an undertaking, as in Sternheim's Start in ein neues Sein (1926).^[3][6][4] The colloquial Senkrechtstarter is someone who makes a rapid career.^[6] Hungarian start is recorded from 1875.^[8]

Timeline

• 1871 – Sanders' dictionary lists Start.^[6]
• 1872 – First quotation, from horse racing.^[4]
• 1875 – Hungarian start is recorded.^[8]
• 1910 – Fliegender Start is recorded.^[6]
• 1926 – Sternheim uses the word figuratively for a new beginning.^[6]
• 20th century – It comes to mean the take-off of an aircraft and the beginning of an undertaking.^[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The beginning of a race or contest.^[9][1]
2. The starting line or place of a race.^[9][1]
3. Taking part in a contest.^[9][4]
4. The takeoff of an aircraft, rocket or balloon; also the place of take-off.^[9][1]
5. (computing) Starting up a machine, a system or a program.^[9]
6. The beginning of an undertaking or a development; setting out towards a goal: ein guter Start ins Studium.^[9][1]

Word family

• starten
• Starter
• Fehlstart
• Senkrechtstarter

Related words

• stürzen
• English start

Usage notes

In motor and cycle racing, a fliegender Start is one in which the competitors cross the line already moving, and a stehender Start one from a standstill.^[9][4] Am Start sein is to be taking part.^[1][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 877
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 g h i 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. ^ Wahrig-Burfeind, Renate, ed., Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch, Gütersloh / München: Wissen Media Verlag; online edition at wissen.de
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
7. ^ Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag, p. 814
8. ^ a b Lehnwortportal Deutsch (2012–), Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache, Mannheim, lwp.ids-mannheim.de
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag