unterstützen

Forms

unterstützen (third-person singular present unterstützt, past tense unterstützte, past participle unterstützt, auxiliary haben)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German understützen, inherited from Old High German untarstuzzen, formed with untar (“under”) on a verb -stuzzen that occurs only with prefixes.^[2][3][4] The compound is older than the simple verb stützen, which is recorded in High German only from the beginning of the 17th century.^[2][3] Related forms are Middle Low German understutten, Dutch onderstutten, Danish understøtte and Swedish understödja.^[5]

The simple verb is an intensive with a doubled consonant, Proto-Germanic *stuttijaną, beside Old High German gistuden (“to set up”) and Old Norse styðja (“to fix, support”).^[2][6][1] These are formed from a noun “post, prop” seen in Old English studu, English stud and stoð.^[6][2] Pfeifer takes it back to an extension of Proto-Indo-European *stā- (“to stand”),^[2] while Kluge only refers to the unsolved problems of Stunde and stur.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German untarstuzzen is found in a gloss in a 12th-century manuscript.^[2][7] It meant “to prop up from below”, a sense Paul calls rare today.^[8][7]

Semantic evolution

Since Early New High German the verb has meant “to help, promote”.^[8] A Terence translation of 1499 already uses it of supplying someone with money.^[5] Adelung records helping mit Rat und Tat or with money, supporting a request, and, in painting, the shadows that bring out the lights.^[9] Supporting persons such as artists is recorded from 1758–61.^[8]

The separable verb, stressed on unter, kept the concrete sense “to set something underneath as a prop”: an elbow untergestützt is found in 1565.^[5][9] In computing, a device or program unterstützt a format or function when it is compatible with it.^[10]

Timeline

• 12th century – Old High German untarstuzzen in a gloss.^[2]
• 1499 – A Terence translation uses the verb for supplying money.^[5]
• 1565 – The separable untergestützt of a propped elbow.^[5]
• Early 17th century – The simple verb stützen appears in High German.^[2]
• 1758–61 – The verb is used of supporting artists.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To support, help someone with work, advice or money: Die Großeltern unterstützen das junge Paar finanziell.^[1][10][9]
2. To back, endorse a proposal or a person: Die Fraktion unterstützt den Antrag.^[1][10]
3. To promote, aid an effect: Bewegung unterstützt die Heilung.^[1][9]
4. (computing) To be compatible with a format or function: Das Gerät unterstützt kabelloses Laden.^[10]
5. (dated) To prop up from below.^[8][5]
6. (separable, únterstützen) To put something under as a prop: die Hand unter die Wange unterstützen.^[11][10]

Word family

• Unterstützung
• Unterstützer

Related words

• stützen
• Stütze

Usage notes

Jemanden mit Rat und Tat unterstützen is to help someone in every way.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag, p. 838
4. ^ Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities
5. ^ a b c d e f Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 24, 1847
6. ^ a b c Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 896
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
8. ^ a b c d e Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
9. ^ a b c d e Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf, p. 4, 929
10. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
11. ^ Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag