Etymologically
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Verbindung

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Pronunciation

  • /fɛɐ̯ˈbɪndʊŋ(k)/[1]

Forms

Verbindung f (genitive Verbindung, plural Verbindungen)[1]

Etymology

It is late Middle High German verbindunge, a noun from German verbinden + -ung.[2][3][1] Middle Low German had vorbindinge (“connection, alliance”) at the same time.[2][4] The verb is Middle High German verbinden, Old High German firbintan (“to wrap round, tie up”), a West Germanic formation also found in Middle Low German vorbinden, Dutch verbinden and Old English forbindan.[4]

The simple verb binden, Middle High German binden, Old High German bintan, continues Proto-Germanic *bindaną, as do Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 (bindan), Old Norse binda and Old English bindan.[5][6] Its source is Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to bind”), which survives as a verb in Sanskrit बध्नाति (badhnā́ti, “binds”), and elsewhere only in nouns such as Ancient Greek πεῖσμα (peîsma, “ship's cable”), Latin offendix (“chin band of a priest's cap”) and Lithuanian beñdras (“companion”).[5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun is first recorded in the 15th century, in the sense “obligation”, as in a glossary that renders Latin obligatio with verbendunge.[4][2] Its parent verb meant in Old High German “to wrap round, tie up”, and in Middle High German also “to join together, enclose, bind by obligation”.[4]

Semantic evolution

Early dictionaries use Verbindung for the act of binding, as in Maaler's verbindung der augen, the blindfolding of one about to be beheaded, and the bandaging of a wound, though Adelung preferred das Verbinden there.[2][7] Dasypodius gives it for Latin nexus, a thing that connects; that sense lies behind Postverbindung, Eisenbahnverbindung and Handelsverbindungen.[2] Goethe used the plural for a person's social connections, and Adelung records die eheliche Verbindung for marriage.[2][7]

In chemistry it names a substance formed from several elements, and it is also the name of a student fraternity, the Studentenverbindung.[3][1][8] The telephone connection and the travel connection are among its commonest uses today.[3]

Timeline

  • 8th century – Old High German bintan is first recorded.[5]
  • c. 1000 – Old High German firbintan “to wrap round, tie up”.[4]
  • 15th century – Verbindung is first recorded, in the sense “obligation”.[4][2]
  • Late 18th century – Adelung records eheliche Verbindung for marriage.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of joining or combining things, or of their combining: die Verbindung zweier Rohre durch Schweißen.[3]
  2. A link or joint that holds things together: Die Lötstelle stellt eine Verbindung zwischen den Drähten her.[3]
  3. (chemistry) A compound, a substance formed from several elements: Kochsalz ist eine Verbindung aus Natrium und Chlor.[3][1]
  4. A route between places; a means of communication, especially a telephone connection; a travel connection by train, bus or plane: Die Telefonverbindung nach Rom bricht ständig ab.[3][8]
  5. A combination;[3] in Verbindung mit, together with: Der Ausweis gilt nur in Verbindung mit dem Pass.[3]
  6. An alliance, partnership or marriage: Die beiden Familien gingen eine enge Verbindung ein..[3][1]
  7. Contacts and relations between people, often in the plural: Er hat gute Verbindungen zur Regierung.[3][8]
  8. Short for Studentenverbindung, a student fraternity.[1][8]

Word family

  • Studentenverbindung
  • Verbindungsstück
  • Verbindungsstraße
  • Verkehrsverbindung

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 25, 123
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
  4. ^ a b c d e f g 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. 124
  6. ^ Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. 2, 72
  7. ^ a b c Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf
  8. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org