darin

Forms

darin^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German dārinne, also dārin, inherited from Old High German dārinne,^[2][3] a compound of dār (“there”) (now da) and inne (“inside”).^[2][1] From early Middle High German it was understood as formed with the preposition in, and so the shorter form replaced the longer one.^[2]

The same compound is Old Saxon thar inne, Middle Low German dārin, Dutch daarin, Old Frisian therin, Old English þǣrinne (now English therein), Swedish därinne and Danish derinde.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German dār inne meant “in it, in there”;^[4][5] dār in and dara in were used for “into it”, the later darein.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

Darinne prevailed until the 14th century;^[2] darin has been the commoner form since the 15th, and by the 20th century had almost completely replaced it.^[2] Darinne became a little more frequent again in the 18th century and is now used only for stylistic effect, though it lives on in dialects, especially Central and Low German.^[2] The contracted drin appears from early Middle High German, regularly from the 16th century, and is much more frequent in the 20th.^[2]

Besides space, the word refers to a state, action or event (der Wert besteht darin, dass …).^[4] In older German it was also a relative adverb meaning “wherein”, as in Luther's alles Fleisch, darin ein lebendiger Odem ist (Genesis 6:17); this is now rare.^[4] Some authors did not keep darin and darein apart, and Goethe often wrote d(a)rein for d(a)rin.^[5] Kalisch's Darin bin ich komisch (1858) became a catchphrase.^[5]

Timeline

• Old High German – dār inne.^[2][5]
• 12th century – Forms without ⟨r⟩ such as dainne appear.^[2]
• 15th century – darin becomes commoner than darinne.^[2]
• 16th century – The short form drin is in regular use.^[2]
• 1858 – Darin bin ich komisch (Kalisch) becomes a catchphrase.^[5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. In it, in there, in that place or container: eine Kiste mit alten Fotos darin.^[3][1]
2. In this respect, in that matter: Darin hat sie recht.^[3][6]

Related words

• drin
• darein
• da
• in
• English therein

Usage notes

It is stressed on the second syllable, and on the first for special emphasis.^[3][1]

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 j k l 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, 293
3. ^ a b c d Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
4. ^ a b c d Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 2, 776
5. ^ 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
6. ^ Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org