Etymologically
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unbekannt

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈʊnbəkant/[1]

Forms

unbekannt (strong nominative masculine singular unbekannter, comparative unbekannter, superlative am unbekanntesten)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German unbekant (also unbekennet), formed from Middle High German un- + bekant (“known”).[2][3] That adjective is the past participle of bekennen (“to know, recognize”), which became the independent adjective bekannt; the old sense “to know” of the verb survives in it.[2][4] The same formation is Middle Low German unbekant, Middle Dutch onbekant, Dutch onbekend and Swedish obekant.[3] Compare English unbeknownst.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Middle High German and Early New High German the word meant “not recognizable, unrecognized, little known”, and also “unforeseen”: the mystic Heinrich Seuse writes of a man who died eins unbekanten todes, a sudden death, rendering Latin morte improvisa.[3] Early New High German also had the form unbekennt.[3]

Semantic evolution

The sense “unrecognized, incognito” became rarer in the 18th century and then disappeared;[3] Goethe could still contrast the two, saying that one goes through the world either unbekannt or unerkannt.[3] The dialects often prefer other words, such as ungekannt or unerkannt.[3] Adelung notes that the oldest writers, the Old High German Isidor translator and Otfrid, used unkund instead.[5]

The litotes er ist mir nicht unbekannt “he is not unknown to me” is frequent from Luther on.[6] In mathematics, a 16th-century rule of three seeks “the fourth unknown” number from three known ones.[6] From the 19th century the noun die Unbekannte is the unknown quantity of an equation.[6][7] In law, a complaint is filed gegen Unbekannt, against persons unknown.[6][7]

Timeline

  • Middle High German – unbekant and unbekennet are in use.[2][3]
  • 16th century – A rule of three speaks of “the fourth unknown” number.[6]
  • 18th century – The sense “unrecognized” becomes rare.[3]
  • 19th century – die Unbekannte is used for the unknown quantity in mathematics.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not known to someone, or to anyone; unknown, unfamiliar: Der Absender des Pakets ist unbekannt.[7][1]
  2. Not well known, not famous: ein noch unbekannter Maler.[7][1]

Word family

  • Unbekannte
  • Unbekannter
  • Unbekanntheit

Usage notes

Empfänger unbekannt “addressee unknown” is the note on undeliverable mail, and eine unbekannte Größe is an unknown quantity, in mathematics and of a person whose abilities are not yet known.[7] Used as a noun, ein Unbekannter is a stranger, and kein Unbekannter someone already well known.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 24, 298
  4. ^ Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 107
  5. ^ Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf
  6. ^ a b c d e f Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
  7. ^ a b c d e f Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag