Etymologically
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leider

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈlaɪ̯dɐ/[1]

Forms

leider[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German leider, inherited from Old High German leidōr, leidor, originally the comparative of the adverb leido (leide), which goes with the adjective leid.[2][3][4][5] The adjective is leid (“hateful, painful”), Proto-Germanic *laiþaz (“hateful, hostile”), also in Old Saxon lēð, Old English lāþ (whence English loath) and Old Norse leiðr;[6][7][8] Gothic has no such word.[6][7][8] Pfeifer compares Ancient Greek ἀλείτης (aleítēs, “sinner”) and connects it, probably, with a root Proto-Indo-European *leit- (“to loathe, do wrong”).[6][8]

The intensified phrase with the genitive of Gott has a separate source: Kluge and Duden derive it from an oath “by the suffering of God”, with the noun Leiden.[2][3][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German leidōr is recorded in the 9th century, in Otfrid, the Ludwigslied and later Notker, as an adverb and interjection meaning “alas, unfortunately”.[2][10] Notker writes jâ leidor chad ih “yes, alas, said I”.[5]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept the same function since Old High German: a comment of regret on what is said.[5][11] Middle High German could add a dative of the person, leider uns “to our sorrow”, in Hartmann's Iwein.[5] Luther's Bible has unser ist leider wenig blieben (Jeremiah 42:2), and Adelung cites this as the model use.[11][5]

In answers it combines with ja and nein.[5][4] Adelung regarded leider Gottes as a phrase of common speech, explaining it as “be it lamented to God”.[11] Early New High German also had adjectival uses, “causing grief”, which have disappeared.[9]

Timeline

  • 9th century – Old High German leidōr in Otfrid and the Ludwigslied.[2][10]
  • c. 1000 – Notker uses leidor.[5]
  • Middle High German – leider appears in the Nibelungenlied and Hartmann's Iwein.[5]
  • 16th century – Luther's Bible: unser ist leider wenig blieben.[5]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. unfortunately, regrettably, to my (your, our…) regret: Leider ist das Konzert ausverkauft.; as an answer, Leider ja! “I'm afraid so”, Leider nein! “I'm afraid not”.[4][1]
  • Leid
  • English loath

Usage notes

Leider Gottes (colloquial) is a stronger “unfortunately”.[2][11] The separate noun Leider “sufferer”, from leiden, survives mainly in Hungerleider and the older Mitleider.[5][11]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 570
  3. ^ a b Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag, p. 506
  4. ^ a b c Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 12, 673
  6. ^ a b c 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 Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. 5, 1126
  8. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  9. ^ a b Anderson, Robert R.; Goebel, Ulrich; Reichmann, Oskar, eds. (1989–), Frühneuhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter; FWB-online, fwb-online.de
  10. ^ a b Schützeichel, Rudolf (2012), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 7th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 196
  11. ^ a b c d e Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf