darauf

Forms

darauf^[1] The contracted form drauf has been used since Middle High German; in the 16th century it rose to about a fifth of all occurrences, and it has stayed at that level in the written language.^[2] A form without -r (da … auf) is found when the parts are separated, otherwise only occasionally until the 17th century.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German dār ūf, inherited from Old High German dār ūf, a compound of da and auf.^[2][3][4] Related compounds are Old Saxon thar ûp, Old Frisian therop, Dutch daarop and Danish derop, and English thereupon.^[5][2]

The first part is Old High German dār (“there”), from Proto-West Germanic *þār, beside Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐍂 (þar); it is a locative in /-r/ of the demonstrative stem Proto-Indo-European *to-.^[6] The /r/ was lost in such unstressed words from Middle High German on, but it survives before vowels in compounds like this one, where it separates the vowels.^[6] The second part is Old High German ūf, from Proto-Germanic *upp, also in Gothic 𐌹𐌿𐍀 (iup).^[7] Since early Middle High German the compound has been understood as containing the preposition.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German dārūfe “on it, whereupon” is recorded in Otfrid (863–871) and Notker.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The Grimms describe it as a word of direction towards a place or goal (er gieng darauf zu), then of the mind's direction with verbs of seeing, hoping and thinking, as in Luther's ich hoffe aber dar auf (Psalm 13:6).^[5] It is used for place and for time, and mostly stands for a phrase with auf: darauf hören, warten, bestehen, ankommen.^[8] Phrases such as es kommt darauf an are recorded by Adelung, and viel or wenig darauf geben “to set much or little store by it” from the 16th century.^[8]

Writing it together with verbs of direction began in late Middle High German and is increasing.^[2] The derived adverb daraufhin “as a result, thereupon” appears in the 17th century.^[8]

Timeline

• 863–871 – Old High German dārūfe appears in Otfrid.^[4]
• Middle High German – The contracted drūf appears.^[2]
• 16th century – drauf rises to about a fifth of all uses;^[2][8] viel darauf geben is recorded.^[2][8]
• 17th century – daraufhin appears.^[8]

Meanings

Adverb

1. on it, on top of it: Auf dem Tisch stand eine Vase, darauf lag ein Zettel.^[3][1]
2. Onto it: Sie nahm einen Stuhl und stellte sich darauf.^[3]
3. Towards it: Dort ist der Ausgang, geht darauf zu.^[3]
4. On or about this matter, with verbs and adjectives that take auf: Ich freue mich darauf. Es kommt darauf an.^[3][1]
5. As a result, thereupon: Er bewarb sich, und darauf erhielt er eine Einladung.^[3]
6. afterwards, then, after that: kurz darauf, am darauf folgenden Tag.^[3][1]

Word family

• daraufhin
• drauf

Related words

• da
• auf
• English thereupon

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob Grimm und Wilhelm Grimm, Neubearbeitung (1965–2018), ed. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften and Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, 9 vols. (A–F), Leipzig / Stuttgart: Hirzel, p. 6, 267
3. ^ a b c d e f g Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
5. ^ a b Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 2, 760
6. ^ a b Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 177
7. ^ Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 71
8. ^ a b c d e f Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer