zufrieden

Forms

zufrieden (strong nominative masculine singular zufriedener, comparative zufriedener, superlative am zufriedensten)^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from German zu + Frieden (“peace”), the phrase “at peace” grown together into one word.^[2][3][1] It was first used with verbs of direction such as setzen, stellen and kommen (“to bring to rest”), became an adverb in the 16th century and an inflected adjective in the 17th.^[3][4] Wiktionary takes it as a likely loan translation of Middle Low German tô vrēde and Middle Dutch te vrēden (modern Dutch tevreden), both recorded from the 13th century.^[1] The Grimms' dictionary also notes that the phrase is found earlier and more often in Middle Low German and Middle Dutch, and that the oldest High German records come from Hesse and the Rhineland.^[5]

The noun goes back to Old High German fridu, from Proto-Germanic *friþuz (“peace”), an abstract noun from the root of frei.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler lists Middle High German zevriden “content” in Meister Eckhart (before 1326) and Tauler.^[6] Paul dates the first record to 1433, and Kluge places the word in the 16th century.^[4][2] Among the oldest High German records is the Alsfeld Passion Play, where the Church says ich wel mich stellen zufredde “I will put myself at ease”.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The fixed verbal phrases zufriedenstellen, zufriedenlassen and sich zufriedengeben, closest to the original sense, were in general use by the end of the 15th century.^[5][4] From the predicate use zufrieden sein the phrase came to be felt as an adjective from the end of the 17th century, inflected and placed before nouns; Zufriedenheit (1648, Rist) and unzufrieden (18th century) followed.^[4][3] Early New High German construed it with the genitive, as Goethe still does in Faust II (bin des Dienstes ich wohl zufrieden), of which ich bin's zufrieden “I agree” is a relic; in the 18th century zufrieden von was common, later replaced by zufrieden mit.^[4] Upper German also had the forms zufriede and zufried.^[5]

Timeline

• Before 1326 – Middle High German zevriden in Meister Eckhart.^[6]
• 1433 – First record according to Paul.^[4]
• End of the 15th century – zufrieden stellen, zufrieden lassen and sich zufrieden geben are in general use.^[5]
• 16th century – Used as an adverb.^[3]
• 1648 – Zufriedenheit in Rist.^[4]
• End of the 17th century – Used and inflected as an adjective.^[4]
• 18th century – unzufrieden appears.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Content, at ease with one's circumstances and wishing no change: ein zufriedener Rentner.^[7][1]
2. Satisfied (mit someone or something), having nothing to object to: Der Trainer ist mit der Mannschaft zufrieden.^[7][1]

Word family

• Zufriedenheit
• unzufrieden
• zufriedenstellen
• zufriedengeben

Related words

• Frieden
• befriedigen
• Dutch tevreden

Usage notes

Jemanden zufriedenlassen is to leave someone in peace, sich mit etwas zufriedengeben to make do with something, and jemanden zufriedenstellen to satisfy someone's wishes.^[7] Ich bin es zufrieden “I am agreed” is dated.^[7][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 1016
3. ^ a b c d e f 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 e f g h i Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
5. ^ 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. 32, 365
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
7. ^ a b c d Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag