Etymologically
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organisieren

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Pronunciation

  • /ɔʁɡaniˈziːʁən/[1]

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

  • 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