Verkehr

Pronunciation

• /fɛrˈkeːr/, [fɛʁˈkeːʁ], [fɛɐ̯ˈkeːɐ̯]^[1]

Forms

Verkehr m (genitive Verkehres or Verkehrs, plural Verkehre)^[1]

Etymology

It is a noun formed from the verb verkehren, first in the sense “trade, exchange of goods”.^[2][3][4] The verb is inherited from Middle High German verkēren (“to turn round, transform, distort”), formed from ver- and kehren “to turn”.^[3][5][6] The sense “to deal with one another”, on which the noun rests, comes from Low German use: Middle Low German vorkēren developed from “to change, exchange” the senses “to sell one's wares, put money into circulation, trade”, as did older Dutch verkeren.^[3][5] Kluge suggests that the simple verb expresses the mutual turning, the give and take, of the exchange.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun appears in the first half of the 18th century meaning trade, the turnover and sale of goods.^[3][4] Frisch's dictionary notes that Verkehr was used by some for Latin commercium, and for Adelung es ist vieler Verkehr an einem Orte meant that many goods were sold there.^[7][8]

Semantic evolution

In the second half of the 18th century it widened to social intercourse, contact and dealings with people;^[3] Adelung (1793) gives Verkehr mit jemanden haben “to have dealings with someone”.^[8] Kant used it both of commerce and of exchange in general.^[7] The gender long wavered: Bürger, Herder, Kant, Knigge and Iffland made it neuter, Goethe used both genders, and the masculine prevailed.^[7][8]

The sense now foremost, the movement of vehicles, people, goods and messages along routes, arose in the second half of the 19th century, with compounds such as Straßenverkehr, Schienenverkehr and Verkehrsampel.^[3][5] As a euphemism Verkehr also stands for Geschlechtsverkehr “sexual intercourse”.^[9][1] The phrase etwas aus dem Verkehr ziehen means to take something out of use, and in Verkehr bringen to put it into circulation.^[9]

Timeline

• First half of the 18th century – Verkehr “trade, sale of goods”.^[3][4]
• Second half of the 18th century – “Social intercourse, dealings”.^[3]
• 1793 – Adelung records both senses.^[8]
• Second half of the 19th century – “Traffic, transport”.^[3][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. traffic; the movement and transport of vehicles, people, goods and messages: Am Freitagabend ist auf der Autobahn viel Verkehr.^[9][1]
2. Contact, social intercourse, dealings with someone: Sie hat keinen Verkehr mehr mit ihren alten Nachbarn.^[9][4]
3. (euphemistic) Sexual intercourse, short for Geschlechtsverkehr.^[9][1]
4. The exchange of goods, services, money or securities: der Zahlungsverkehr.^[4]

Word family

• Straßenverkehr
• Geschlechtsverkehr
• Verkehrsampel
• Verkehrsunfall
• Verkehrsmittel

Related words

• verkehren
• verkehrt
• kehren

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 953
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
5. ^ a b c d Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2007), 4th ed., Duden vol. 7, Mannheim: Dudenverlag
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
7. ^ a b c Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 25, 625
8. ^ a b c d Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf
9. ^ a b c d e Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag