lediglich

Forms

lediglich^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German ledeclīche (“freely, without hindrance”),^[2][3][4] formed from the adjective Middle High German ledic (“free, unhindered”), now ledig, with the suffix -lich.^[1][3]

Kluge dates the adjective to the 12th century and compares Middle Low German leddich, Middle Dutch ledich (“idle”) and Old Norse liðugr (“free, unhindered; nimble”); he calls its origin not sufficiently clear: in the sense “nimble” it would belong to Glied, in the sense “free” perhaps to Old High German lid (“servant”).^[5] Duden and Paul derive it from the Germanic word for a joint or limb, so that it meant “with supple limbs”, then “unhindered, free”.^[6][7] Köbler sets up Proto-Germanic *liþugaz (“supple, free”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Middle High German lediclich “free, unchallenged” is first recorded in the Deutschenspiegel of about 1275.^[3] In the town chronicles it means “free, not captive” and, of property, “free of debt”, as in lidekliche zu eigen “in full ownership”.^[8]

Semantic evolution

From “free, unhindered” the adverb passed to “entirely, wholly”: in a Middle High German love song a poet says ich hân vil ledeclîche brâht in ir genâde mînen lîp “I have given myself wholly into her grace”, and Stieler (1691) gives einem die sache lediglich anheimstellen “to leave the matter entirely to someone”.^[8] In the newer language it became restrictive, “solely, merely”, as in Klopstock, Lessing and Wieland.^[8]

The plain adjective ledig was also used as an adverb meaning “only” from 1533 (Sebastian Franck) and still by Lessing and Schiller, but lediglich has replaced it in this use.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 1275 – lediclich “free” in the Deutschenspiegel.^[3]
• 1533 – ledig is used as an adverb “only”.^[7]
• 1691 – Stieler records lediglich “entirely” and “solely”.^[8][7]
• 18th century – The restrictive sense “merely” becomes usual in Lessing and Wieland.^[8]

Meanings

Adverb

1. merely, only, nothing more than: Ich wollte lediglich fragen, wie spät es ist. Von zwölf Bewerbern kamen lediglich drei in die engere Wahl.^[2][1]

Related words

• ledig
• erledigen
• Glied

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
4. ^ Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2007), 4th ed., Duden vol. 7, Mannheim: Dudenverlag
5. ^ Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 566
6. ^ Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b c d e Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 12, 506