ebenso

Forms

ebenso^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from German eben + so.^[1][2] The first part is the adverb use of the adjective eben, Middle High German eben, Old High German eban, Proto-Germanic *ebnaz (“level, even”) (compare Gothic 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐍃 (ibns) and English even),^[3][4] which developed the adverbial senses “in the same way, exactly corresponding”.^[4] The second is so, sō, sō, from *swa (compare Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌰 (swa)).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The revised Grimm dictionary's earliest example is from Johann Agricola's collection of proverbs (1529): one should value a small gain ebenso groß “as highly” as a large one.^[2] It is used to say that a quality, process or state matches that of another, often before adjectives and adverbs and with a correlative such as wie, formerly also als, als wie or denn.^[2]

Semantic evolution

For a long time it was usually written separately, as eben so, for example by Fischart (1573) and Lessing (1772), with a growing tendency to write it as one word.^[2] Many fixed combinations grew up, such as ebensoviel, recorded in 1612.^[2] Beside the comparative use there is the interjection Ebenso! “same to you!”, a reply to a wish.^[1]

Timeline

• 1529 – Agricola's proverbs use ebenso groß, als.^[2]
• 1573 – Fischart writes eben so wol.^[2]
• 1612 – ebensoviele is recorded.^[2]
• 1772 – Lessing writes eben so wenig, als.^[2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. In the same way, to the same degree; just as (much): Sie singt ebenso gut wie ihre Schwester.^[6][1]
2. (formal) Likewise, also: nicht nur bei den Löhnen, ebenso bei den Mieten.^[6][1]

Interjection

1. Same to you!, you too! (in reply to a wish).^[1]

Word family

• ebensogut
• ebensoviel
• ebensowenig

Related words

• genauso
• eben
• so

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 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. 7, 23
3. ^ Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 226
4. ^ a b Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
5. ^ Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 855
6. ^ a b Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag