Etymologically
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links

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Pronunciation

Forms

links (adverb; also a preposition with the genitive)[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German linkes, originally the genitive singular of linc (“left; awkward”), the ancestor of link; the adverb is recorded from the 15th century.[3][1][4] Of this family only the noun Old High German lenka (“left hand”) is recorded in Old High German; the adjective took the place of the old Germanic word, winistar (“left”), which survives in Swedish vänster and matches Old Norse vinstri, Old English winstre and Old Saxon winistar.[3][4][5] Pfeifer explains that word as a comparative, Proto-Indo-European *u̯enistro-, meaning “on the better side”, a euphemism, from the root Proto-Indo-European *u̯en- (“to strive, wish, love”) of Wonne, Wunsch and gewinnen.[3]

The origin of the newer adjective is uncertain.[5][3] Kluge takes it to have meant “awkward”, since words for left keep being renewed from that sense, and compares Swedish linka (“to limp”).[5] Pfeifer and Duden suggest a nasalised form of the root Proto-Indo-European *(s)leg- (“to be slack, limp”) of Laken;[3][4] Pfeifer also considers a link with lenken and Gelenk, “bent” as opposed to recht “straight”.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German lenka “left hand” is found only in glosses, while winistar “left” appears from the glosses (765) on and in Tatian, Otfrid and Notker.[6][7][8] The adverb links “on the left” is recorded from the 15th century.[3]

Semantic evolution

Adelung records links for “towards the left”, “on the reverse side” (das Kleid links anziehen “to put the dress on inside out”), “with the left hand” and figuratively “wrongly”.[9] The phrase links liegen lassen, literally “to leave lying on the left”, came to mean “to ignore deliberately”.[10][2]

The political sense dates from the 19th century: following French la gauche, it refers to the progressive parties, which after the Restoration sat on the left as seen from the president of the French chamber.[3][11] The old association of the left side with bad luck and clumsiness shows in zwei linke Hände haben “to be all thumbs”.[12]

Timeline

  • 765 – Old High German winistar “left” in glosses.[8]
  • 15th century – The adverb links appears.[3]
  • 1793 – Adelung records links “inside out” and “with the left hand”.[9]
  • 19th century – The political sense appears.[3][11]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. On or to the left: An der Ampel links abbiegen.[2][1]
  2. (colloquial) With the left hand: Er schreibt links.[2]
  3. On the reverse side, inside out: den Pullover links waschen.[2][1]
  4. (knitting) With purl stitches.[2]
  5. Politically on the left: Sie steht politisch links.[2][11]

Preposition

  1. With a genitive: on the left side of: links des Flusses.[2]

Word family

  • linksherum
  • linksum
  • Linkshänder
  • linksrheinisch
  • Linksverkehr
  • Linke
  • link
  • linkisch
  • Old High German winistar

Usage notes

Jemanden links liegen lassen is to ignore someone on purpose, and etwas mit links machen is to do it with ease.[2]

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 Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
  4. ^ a b c d Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2007), 4th ed., Duden vol. 7, Mannheim: Dudenverlag
  5. ^ a b c Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 579
  6. ^ Schützeichel, Rudolf (2012), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 7th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 197
  7. ^ Schützeichel, Rudolf (2012), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 7th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 391
  8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  9. ^ a b Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf
  10. ^ Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 12, 1049
  11. ^ a b c Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
  12. ^ Wahrig-Burfeind, Renate, ed., Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch, Gütersloh / München: Wissen Media Verlag; online edition at wissen.de