erklären

Forms

erklären (third-person singular present erklärt, past tense erklärte, past participle erklärt, auxiliary haben)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German erklæren (“to make clear”), formed from Middle High German er- + klæren (“to clear”) from klār (“clear”) (modern klar).^[2][1][3] The adjective came into German in the 12th century from the Lower Rhine, borrowed from Latin clārus (“bright, clear”) through Old French cler and Middle Dutch claer.^[4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Middle High German verb erklæren meant “to make clear, brighten” and “to become clear”, and also “to explain, reveal”.^[7][8] The first quotation in the revised Grimm dictionary for “to explain” is from the Braunschweig rhymed chronicle (1279–1298).^[2]

Semantic evolution

Older German used the verb in the literal sense “to make clean or bright”, of water, eyes or sight, into the 17th century: Hohberg writes that rue erkläret dim eyes.^[9][10] Paul notes that of the general meaning “to make clear” only two special senses survive: “to explain” and “to declare publicly”, as in jemandem den Krieg erklären or jemanden für schuldig erklären.^[11] The reflexive sich erklären “to state one's view” was common in the 18th century.^[11] Erklärung is recorded from the 15th century.^[5]

Timeline

• 12th century – Middle High German klār spreads from the Lower Rhine.^[4][5]
• 1279–1298 – erklæren “to explain” in the Braunschweig rhymed chronicle.^[2]
• 15th century – The noun Erklärung appears.^[5]
• 17th century – The sense “to make the sight clear” is still used (Opitz, Hohberg).^[9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To explain, make something clear to someone: Kannst du mir die Regel erklären?^[7][1]
2. To give the reason for something, account for it;^[7] sich erklären: to be explained by something.^[7]
3. To declare, state officially: Der Minister erklärte seinen Rücktritt.^[7][1]
4. sich erklären: to state one's position, declare oneself for or against someone.^[7][11]
5. To declare someone or something to be something: jemanden für tot erklären.^[7][11]

Word family

• Erklärung
• erklärlich
• erklärt
• bereiterklären

Related words

• klar
• klären
• verklären
• aufklären

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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, 1880
3. ^ Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
4. ^ a b Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 496
5. ^ a b c d Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag
6. ^ Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
7. ^ a b c d e f g Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
9. ^ 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, 875
10. ^ Anderson, Robert R.; Goebel, Ulrich; Reichmann, Oskar, eds. (1989–), Frühneuhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter; FWB-online, fwb-online.de
11. ^ a b c d Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer