in

in¹ in, into

Pronunciation

• /ɪn/^[1]

Forms

in (preposition with the dative or the accusative; contracted with the article to im, ins).^[2][3]

Etymology

The preposition is inherited from Middle High German in, inherited from Old High German in, inherited from Proto-Germanic *in, older *eni.^[4] The same word is Gothic 𐌹𐌽 (in), Old Norse í, Old English in, Old Frisian in and Old Saxon in, and in the modern languages Dutch in, English in, Swedish i and Icelandic í.^[4][3][5] Outside Germanic it corresponds to Ancient Greek ἐν (en) and ἐνί (ení), Latin in, Old Prussian en and, probably with the zero grade, Lithuanian į, all from Proto-Indo-European *en(i) (“in”).^[4][3][5][1]

The EWA doubts the reconstruction with a final vowel, since no Germanic descendant shows it and the Old Norse form cannot come from it; it prefers a form without the vowel, with /e/ raised to /i/ in weak stress.^[6] As a stressed adverb the word was lengthened in Middle High German to în, the source of the adverb ein² “into”.^[6][7] Before a stressed syllable it was weakened in Middle High German to en-, as in enzwei, now entzwei.^[3] Combined with the article it gave im (Middle High German imme, from ⟨in deme⟩) and ins.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German in is recorded from the 8th century in glosses and literary texts, with a very wide range of senses: “in, to, on, at, with regard to, according to, under, towards”, rendering Latin ad, de and in.^[6][8] Köbler's earliest dated sources are glosses of 765 and the Hildebrandslied.^[9] Schützeichel lists phrases such as in thiu “therein, thereby, because” and in mitti “in the middle of”.^[8]

Semantic evolution

Paul traces the senses from the spatial one, something enclosed in a space or area (im Wasser, im Garten), also partly enclosed (in der Hand, in Schuhen), to temporal and figurative uses;^[10] in der Predigt and im Konzert were modelled on in der Kirche, im Theater.^[10] Before names of towns in with the dative replaced the older zu.^[10] In Early New High German the preposition was used more widely in transferred senses than today, and towards the end of that period other prepositions increasingly took its place there.^[11]

From the 16th to the 18th century in also stood for in den (Hans Sachs in spiegel “into the mirror”, the young Goethe in kopf), a contraction later avoided in careful writing.^[12] Latin phrases with in such as in corpore “as a whole body”, probably from chancery Latin, became current in German.^[13] After the English model, in with a bare year (in 1999) appears in non-standard usage.^[2]

Timeline

• 765 – Old High German in appears in glosses, and soon after in the Hildebrandslied.^[9]
• 14th century – Rhymes prove the lengthened adverb în, modern ein.^[7]
• 16th century – in for in den becomes common, and remains so until the 18th century.^[12]
• 1775 – First record of in corpore in a German text.^[13]

Meanings

Preposition

1. (with dative) In, inside, within: where someone or something is.^[2][1]
2. (with accusative) into, to: the goal of a movement.^[2][1]
3. (with dative) In, during, within: a point or span of time, also the end of a period in the future (in zwei Tagen “in two days”).^[2][1]
4. (with accusative) Into, up to (a time): bis in die Kindheit “back into childhood”.^[2]
5. (with dative) In: the manner or state of something (in Schwierigkeiten “in difficulties”).^[2]

Word family

• im
• ins
• inne
• innen
• inner
• innig
• Innung
• inmitten
• indem
• indessen

in² fashionable

Pronunciation

• /ɪn/^[1]

Forms

in (indeclinable, predicative only)^[1]

Etymology

The adjective is borrowed from English in (“fashionable”), which goes back to the adverb Old English inne (“within, inside”).^[13][14][1] It is recorded in German from 1966, first in the language of young people and then in colloquial speech.^[13] The English word belongs with the preposition in the first block of this page.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

From 1966 the word is used of people, music groups, places, clothes and other consumer goods that are “currently in fashion, popular, sought after”.^[13]

Semantic evolution

It is used almost only predicatively, in phrases like in sein and total in; jocular comparatives inner, am insten occur, and it forms compounds such as In-Lokal and In-Szene.^[13] Its opposite is out.^[13][15]

Timeline

• 1966 – First record in German.^[13]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (colloquial, predicative only) fashionable, in vogue, popular.^[15][13][1]
2. (colloquial, predicative only) Of people, especially in show business: in the public eye, in demand.^[15]