Etymologically
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europäisch

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Pronunciation

  • /ɔʏ̯ʁoˈpɛːɪ̯ʃ/[1]
  • /ɔʏ̯ʁoˈpeːɪ̯ʃ/[1]

Forms

europäisch (strong nominative masculine singular europäischer, comparative europäischer, superlative am europäischsten)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from German Europa + -isch.[2][1][3] When the name of the continent still had older German forms with Latin endings, the adjective was europisch.[4] Adelung notes that the name comes from Greek, Ancient Greek Εὐρώπη (Eurṓpē).[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The revised Grimm dictionary first records the adjective in 1560, in a translation of Paolo Giovio that speaks of dise europeischen fürsten “these European princes”, meaning belonging to Europe.[2]

Semantic evolution

Campe, in 1807, glosses it as “from Europe, belonging to it, native to it”, of plants, animals, languages, customs and goods.[6] From the 18th century it also described what is characteristic of European culture: Herder in 1769 sets “European moderation” against Asian heat.[2]

After the Second World War it came to refer to the union of the European states, as in the plan for a European university (1962) or a common European task (1977).[2][7]

Timeline

  • 1560 – europeisch in a translation of Paolo Giovio.[2]
  • 1668 – Francisci writes of europaeische feigenbäume “European fig trees”.[2]
  • 1769 – Herder uses it of European cultural character.[2]
  • 1962 – First quotation for the sense “relating to the union of Europe”.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. European, of or relating to Europe: die europäischen Hauptstädte.[7][1]
  2. Relating to the union of the European states: die europäische Einigung.[7][2]
  3. Typical of European culture.[2]

Word family

  • Europäer
  • Europa

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 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, 2445
  3. ^ a b Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
  4. ^ Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 3, 1197
  5. ^ Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf
  6. ^ Campe, Joachim Heinrich (1807–1811), Wörterbuch der Deutschen Sprache, 5 vols., Braunschweig: Schulbuchhandlung
  7. ^ a b c Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag