Etymologically
Log in

lösen

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 20 October 2026 at 18:58. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • [ˈløːzn̩], /ˈløːsɛn/, [ˈløːsn̩][1]
  • Germany: [ˈløːzən][1]
  • Austria, Southern-Germany, Switzerland: [ˈløːz̥n̩][1]

Forms

lösen (third-person singular present löst, past tense löste, past participle gelöst, auxiliary haben)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German lœsen, inherited from Old High German lōsen, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *lausijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *lausijaną (“to make loose, set free”), derived from the adjective los “loose, free”.[2][3][1][4] The same verb is Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (lausjan), Old Norse leysa, Old English līesan, Old Frisian lēsa and Old Saxon lōsian.[4][2][5]

The adjective, Proto-Germanic *lausaz, is in turn derived from a verb meaning “to lose, loosen”, which survives in German only in the prefixed verlieren.[4][5] Köbler traces the family to Proto-Indo-European *lewH- (“to cut, separate, loosen”).[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German lōsen is recorded from the end of the 8th century in glosses and then in Tatian, Otfrid, Notker and the Muspilli; it meant “to loosen, untie”, “to free, deliver (from)”, “to ransom” and “to pay”.[6][7] The prefixed irlōsen “to redeem” and its agent noun irlōsāri “redeemer” are also of the 8th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

Middle High German lœsen meant “to loosen, free, redeem, buy back, pay”.[2] Luther uses it of freeing prisoners (der Herr löset die Gefangenen) and of redeeming a pledge or a firstborn animal, a use now taken over by einlösen and erlösen.[8][9] From redeeming something sold or pledged came “to get money by selling”, the source of Erlös (early 18th century).[8][2] The phrase eine Fahrkarte lösen “to buy a ticket” is recorded by Sanders.[8]

Other senses grew from “to make loose”: to annul a contract or engagement, to solve a riddle or a doubt, to dissolve salt in water, and formerly to fire a gun (Lessing: ich lösete das Pistol).[8][3] Hunters say of game that it löst sich, relieves itself.[10][11] The chemical sense of Lösung was shortened from Auflösung in the 19th century.[3]

Timeline

  • End of the 8th century – Old High German lōsen in glosses.[6]
  • 8th century – irlōsen “to redeem” and irlōsāri “redeemer”.[2]
  • 9th century – lōsunga “redemption”.[2]
  • Early 18th century – Erlös “proceeds”.[2]
  • 19th century – Lösung as a chemical term.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To detach, remove, take off: ein Etikett von der Flasche lösen;[12][1] (reflexive) to come off, come loose; to break away, free oneself.[12][1]
  2. To loosen: den Gürtel lösen;[12][1] (reflexive) to become loose.[12][1]
  3. To solve, resolve: eine Gleichung lösen;[12][1] (reflexive) to resolve itself.[12][1]
  4. To annul, dissolve (a contract, a relationship).[12][1]
  5. To dissolve in a liquid;[12][1] (reflexive) to dissolve.[12][1]
  6. (formal) To fire (a shot); (reflexive) to go off by accident.[12]
  7. To buy (a ticket).[12][1]
  8. (dated, regional) To bring in as proceeds.[12]

Word family

  • ablösen
  • auflösen
  • auslösen
  • einlösen
  • erlösen
  • Erlös
  • Erlöser
  • Lösung
  • Lösegeld
  • löslich
  • lösbar
  • loslösen

Usage notes

Jemandem die Zunge lösen is to make someone talkative; it once meant literally to cut the band under a child's tongue so it could move freely.[10][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
  3. ^ a b c d Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag, p. 520
  4. ^ a b c Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 584
  5. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  7. ^ Schützeichel, Rudolf (2012), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 7th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 206
  8. ^ a b c d e Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
  9. ^ Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 12, 1190
  10. ^ a b Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf
  11. ^ Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag