Etymologically
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erkennen

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Pronunciation

  • /ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnən/[1]

Forms

erkennen (irregular weak, third-person singular present erkennt, past tense erkannte, past participle erkannt, past subjunctive erkennte, auxiliary haben)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German erkennen, inherited from Old High German irkennen (also arkennen), formed from German er- + kennen.[2][1][3] The prefix originally marked the beginning of the action, “to come to know”, but often merely strengthened the verb.[2][4] Middle Low German erkennen and Dutch erkennen match it, though the Grimms thought the Dutch verb was borrowed from German, as were Swedish erkänna and Danish erkende.[3][5] Compare Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (uskannjan, “to make known”) and Old English ācennan (“to bring forth, give birth”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German irkennen is recorded from the late 8th century: the Benedictine Rule (790/802) and Otfrid (863/71), who speaks of the wise men thie irkantun sunnun fart “who knew the course of the sun”.[6][7] It meant “to perceive, notice, understand, come to know”, and also “to make known”.[8][7]

Semantic evolution

In the language of the law erkennen has meant “to decide, pass judgment” since the 13th century (das Gericht erkannte auf Freispruch), and to this use belong aberkennen, zuerkennen and anerkennen, the last probably formed in the 16th century after Latin agnoscere.[3][9] Followed by als, the verb often meant what anerkennen now expresses, “to acknowledge”.[2] The sense “to be grateful for” survives in erkenntlich (sich erkenntlich zeigen), which has had it since the 17th century.[2][3] In banking für einen Betrag erkennen means “to credit”.[2]

The biblical ein Weib erkennen “to have intercourse with a woman” is a loan meaning from Latin cognoscere and Greek gignṓskō, which follow the Hebrew text.[2][9] The noun Erkenntnis wavered between feminine and neuter until the 18th century, when the neuter was kept for a judicial decision.[3][9] Schiller's Daran erkenn' ich meine Pappenheimer (Wallensteins Tod) became a familiar quotation.[10] Dutch erkennen “to admit” is recorded from 1376–1400.[11]

Timeline

  • 790/802 – Old High German erchennen in the Benedictine Rule.[6]
  • 863/71 – Otfrid uses irkennen.[6]
  • 13th century – the legal sense “to pass judgment”.[3][9]
  • 1376–1400 – Dutch erkennen is recorded.[11]
  • 16th century – anerkennen is formed.[3][9]
  • 17th century – erkenntlich “grateful”.[3]
  • 18th century – the neuter Erkenntnis “judicial decision” is distinguished.[3][9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To make out, see clearly: Im Nebel konnte man die Insel kaum erkennen.[12][1]
  2. To recognize, identify by certain features: Ich habe dich an deinem Lachen erkannt.[12][1]
  3. To realize, see the true nature of: Er erkannte zu spät, dass er sich geirrt hatte.[12][1]
  4. (literary, dated) To know carnally, have intercourse with.[12]
  5. (law) To pass judgment, decide: Das Gericht erkannte auf eine Geldstrafe.[12][3]
  6. (sport) Of a referee, to rule: auf Elfmeter erkennen.[12]
  7. (banking) To credit (an account with a sum).[12][2]
  8. (reflexive) To get one's bearings.[12]
  9. To acknowledge formally, as anerkennen now does.[12]

Word family

  • anerkennen
  • aberkennen
  • zuerkennen
  • wiedererkennen
  • erkenntlich
  • Erkenntnis
  • erkennbar
  • Erkennung

Usage notes

Erkenne dich selbst! renders the inscription of the temple of Apollo at Delphi, Greek gnōthi seautón.[12][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 255
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
  4. ^ Wahrig-Burfeind, Renate, ed., Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch, Gütersloh / München: Wissen Media Verlag; online edition at wissen.de
  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. 3, 866
  6. ^ a b c 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. 8, 1858
  7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  8. ^ Schützeichel, Rudolf (2012), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 7th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 174
  9. ^ a b c d e f Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2014), 5th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin / Mannheim / Zürich: Dudenverlag, p. 257
  10. ^ a b Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
  11. ^ a b Lehnwortportal Deutsch (2012–), Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache, Mannheim, lwp.ids-mannheim.de
  12. ^ 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