organisieren

Forms

organisieren (third-person singular present organisiert, past tense organisierte, past participle organisiert, auxiliary haben)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French organiser, with the German verb suffix -ieren, borrowed in the 18th century.^[2][3][1] The French verb is a derivative of organe (“tool, organ”), formed on the model of Medieval Latin organizō (“to shape with tools”).^[2][4] The French noun goes back to Latin organum (“tool, instrument”), from Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon, “tool, instrument”), which is related by ablaut to ἔργον (érgon, “work”) (see Organ and Energie).^[3][2] Köbler traces the Greek word to Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- (“to work, do”).^[5] The same verb is Dutch organiseren, English organize, Swedish organisera and Norwegian organisere.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the 18th century the verb meant to arrange, shape or set up according to a plan, and in natural science and philosophy to form an organic whole.^[6][4] Kant defined an organisirtes product der natur as one in which everything is end and also means.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The verb was then used, above all reflexively, of joining in economic, political and other associations.^[6] The noun Organisation went the same way: first, in the second half of the 17th century, a medical and philosophical term for the constitution of a body or mind, then, under the influence of the ideas of the French Revolution, a term for state, economic and political structures (18th century), “systematic preparation” (19th century) and finally “association, party” (20th century).^[3] reorganisieren dates from the 19th century, and Organisator from the first half of the 20th.^[3][6]

In colloquial German organisieren is also a euphemism for getting hold of something in a not quite lawful way.^[6][7] Wiktionary lists Hungarian organizál as a loan of the German verb.^[1]

Timeline

• Second half of the 17th century – Organisation appears as a medical and philosophical term.^[3]
• 18th century – organisieren is borrowed from French.^[2][3]
• 18th century – Herder and Kant use the verb of organic nature.^[4]
• 19th century – reorganisieren appears.^[3]
• First half of the 20th century – Organisator appears.^[6]
• 20th century – Organisation comes to mean “association, party”.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To organize, to prepare and arrange something carefully and systematically: Die Schüler organisieren ein Sommerfest.;^[7][8][1] das organisierte Verbrechen, organized crime.^[7][8][1]
2. (reflexive) To take shape, to become organized: Der Protest organisiert sich.^[7]
3. To bring people together in an association, a union or a party: gewerkschaftlich organisierte Arbeiter;^[7][8] (reflexive) to join together to pursue common interests.^[7][8]
4. (colloquial) To get hold of, to procure, often in a not quite proper way: Er hat uns noch zwei Karten organisiert.^[7][8]
5. (medicine) To break down and replace diseased or dead tissue.^[9]

Word family

• Organisation
• Organisator
• reorganisieren

Related words

• Organ
• Organismus
• organisch
• Orgel

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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. 673
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 13, 1339
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
6. ^ a b c d e Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag
7. ^ a b c d e f g Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
8. ^ a b c d e Duden. Das Fremdwörterbuch (2007), 9th ed., Duden vol. 5, Mannheim: Dudenverlag
9. ^ Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org