plötzlich

Forms

plötzlich^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from German Plotz + -lich: the obsolete noun was a sound-imitating word for a quick, often loud blow, impact or fall.^[2][3][4] Kluge notes that the noun itself is recorded only later than the adjective.^[2] It goes back to Middle High German blaz “blow”, and an interjection plotz “plop, bang” is recorded from the 16th century.^[3][5] The sense grew out of the speed and unexpectedness of such a blow: the word properly meant “at a stroke, at the moment of a bang”.^[2][4] It replaced Middle High German gæhelingen (“suddenly, violently”) (see jäh).^[3]

Middle Low German had plutzlik and plutzich, the source of Danish pludselig and Swedish plötslig.^[1][3] Early New High German also had plözling, from which comes Yiddish פּלוצלינג (plutsling).^[1] Dutch plotseling, which replaced older plotzelijk, developed in the same way.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, about 1320, is the strengthened Central German adverb unplozlich “all too suddenly”, in Köditz's life of St Ludwig: bad news is to be broken so that the hearer is not startled too suddenly.^[6][3][7]

Semantic evolution

Luther wrote plutzlich in 1517, and plützlich was also common in the 16th century.^[7][6] The word was an adverb at first; as an adjective it is found only from Luther on, as in plötzliche Furcht in the Book of Job.^[6][3][7] Under the influence of Blitz there was also a form blitzlich.^[3][6] Beside it stood plotzig (16th century) and the phrase auf den Plotz or auf einen Plutz “at one stroke” (17th century), which Lessing still used.^[3][7]

Unlike schnell, the word often stresses the unexpected;^[7][8] Adelung observed that it was said more often of unpleasant changes than of pleasant ones.^[7][8] Nietzsche contrasted die Plötzlichen, those quick to decide, with those who decide slowly and hold fast (1888).^[7] From the early 20th century ein bisschen plötzlich! has been a call to hurry up, first recorded for Berlin in 1904 and later used by Brecht in the Dreigroschenoper.^[7] The Dutch word plotseling is first recorded in 1642.^[9]

Timeline

• c. 1320 – First record, as unplozlich, in Köditz's life of St Ludwig.^[6][5]
• 1517 – Luther writes plutzlich.^[7]
• 16th century – plützlich and plotzig are current;^[7][3] Luther's Bible uses the word as an adjective.^[7][3]
• 17th century – The phrase auf einen Plotz “at one stroke” is current.^[3]
• 1642 – First record of Dutch plotseling.^[9]
• 1888 – Nietzsche writes of die Plötzlichen.^[7]
• 1904 – Aber 'n bissken plötzlich! is recorded in Berlin.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. sudden, unexpected, happening from one moment to the next: ein plötzlicher Wetterumschwung.^[10][1]

Adverb

1. suddenly, all at once: Plötzlich ging im ganzen Haus das Licht aus.^[10][1]
2. (colloquial) ein bisschen plötzlich!, etwas plötzlich!: hurry up!^[10][7]

Word family

• urplötzlich

Related words

• Plotz
• plotzen
• jäh

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 712
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
6. ^ 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. 13, 1937
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf
9. ^ a b Lehnwortportal Deutsch (2012–), Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache, Mannheim, lwp.ids-mannheim.de
10. ^ a b c Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag