Vorsitzender

Forms

Vorsitzender m (adjectival, definite nominative der Vorsitzende, genitive (des) Vorsitzenden, plural Vorsitzende, definite plural die Vorsitzenden, feminine Vorsitzende)^[1] It is declined like an adjective: der Vorsitzende, ein Vorsitzender, and for a woman die Vorsitzende, eine Vorsitzende.^[2][1]

Etymology

It is the noun use of vorsitzend, the present participle of vorsitzen “to preside, chair”, formed in the 18th century.^[3][4][1] That verb, recorded from the 15th century, is vor + sitzen, which goes back to Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”).^[3][5] Wiktionary thinks the noun was most likely modelled on Latin praeses (“one who presides”), and Paul and Pfeifer take the related Vorsitz for a rendering of praesidium.^[1][4][3] The Grimms' dictionary doubts that the verb was copied from praesideō, since its older senses had no Latin model.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pfeifer dates the noun to the second half of the 18th century, and Paul cites it from Rabener (1777), meaning one who presides over a meeting.^[3][4] Wiktionary finds it in print from the 17th century.^[1]

Semantic evolution

Vorsitzender largely replaced the older Vorsitzer, recorded from the 15th century.^[3][4] The verb vorsitzen first meant to sit in front of others or in the place of honour at table, and a vocabulary of 1482 glosses Latin presidere with it.^[5] The range of the verb narrowed sharply in modern German, to leading a meeting.^[5][3] Adelung, around 1800, speaks of presiding in a court or at a disputation, while today the word mostly names the head of an association, party, committee or board.^[4][2]

Timeline

• 15th century – vorsitzen “to preside” and Vorsitzer are recorded.^[3]
• 1482 – A Latin–German vocabulary glosses presidere with vorsitzen.^[5]
• 16th century – Vorsitz “chairmanship” appears.^[3][4]
• 1777 – Rabener uses Vorsitzender.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A chairman or chairperson, the person who leads an association, party, committee or board, or holds the leading position among several people in charge: Der Verein hat eine neue Vorsitzende gewählt.^[2][1]
2. A president, as of a court or an assembly.^[1][4]

Related words

• vorsitzen
• Vorsitz
• sitzen

Usage notes

Duden lists the word under Vorsitzende, a form that serves for both sexes with the article, while Wiktionary has it under Vorsitzender.^[2][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
5. ^ a b c d e Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 26, 1587