einstellen

Forms

einstellen (third-person singular present stellt ein, past tense stellte ein, past participle eingestellt, auxiliary haben)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German īnstellen, a late Middle High German verb formed from German ein- + stellen.^[1][2][3] The same verb is Middle Low German instellen and Middle Dutch instellen, Dutch instellen.^[3][1]

The verb is stellen, a West Germanic verb also found in Old English stiellan.^[4][5] Kluge takes it as a derivative of Stall in the old sense “standing place”, or else as a causative of a root Proto-Indo-European *stel- not otherwise attested in Germanic;^[4][5] Duden also derives it from the noun, but sees it used as the causative of stehen, “to make stand”.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, from the Freising law book of Ruprecht von Freising (1328), speaks of a stable where someone put up his horse: the first sense was to put an animal in a stall, and then also to stop at an inn on a journey.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From the 15th century einstellen meant “to give someone a post”: an Upper Swabian town law of 1473 speaks of taking on a journeyman, and Luther wished a true preacher to be eingestellt.^[3][2] From 1760 it was also used of recruiting soldiers.^[3] The sense “to stop, cease” (die Arbeit einstellen) developed in the 15th century from putting away something no longer needed, and the reflexive sich einstellen “to turn up, arrive” dates from the 14th century;^[2][3] Goethe wrote in 1812 that they stellten sich zur bestimmten Zeit ein.^[2][3]

Technical use, adjusting an instrument, gave the noun Einstellung “adjustment” in the first half of the 19th century.^[2] The early 20th century brought sich auf etwas einstellen “to adapt oneself, prepare for something”, and Einstellung “attitude”.^[2]

Timeline

• 1328 – First record, of putting a horse in a stable.^[3]
• 14th century – Reflexive sich einstellen “to turn up”.^[2]
• 15th century – The senses “to employ” and “to stop, discontinue”.^[2]
• 1473 – A town law speaks of taking on a journeyman.^[3]
• 1760 – einstellen is used of enlisting soldiers.^[3]
• First half of the 19th century – Einstellung “adjustment” of instruments.^[2]
• Early 20th century – sich einstellen auf “to adapt oneself to”.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To put something in its place; to put a car or animal in a garage or stall for a time.^[6][7]
2. To hire, to take on as an employee.^[6][1]
3. To adjust or set a device: focus a camera, tune a radio to a station;^[6][1] einen Patienten auf ein Medikament einstellen, to find the right dose for a patient.^[6][1]
4. To stop or discontinue an activity: production, payments, legal proceedings.^[6][1]
5. (reflexive) To arrive at a set time and place; also, of a result or feeling, to set in.^[6][1]
6. (reflexive) To prepare oneself for something or adapt to someone: sich auf längere Wartezeiten einstellen.^[6][1]
7. (sports) To equal a record; also, of a coach, to prepare a team in a certain way.^[6][1]
8. (officialese) To enter a sum in a budget.^[6]
9. (Switzerland) To suspend someone from office or from certain rights.^[6][7]

Word family

• Einstellung
• einstellbar
• Stelldichein

Related words

• stellen
• Stall
• Stelle

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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, 1057
4. ^ a b c Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 881
5. ^ a b c Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag, p. 819
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
7. ^ a b Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org