zunächst

Forms

zunächst^[1]

Etymology

It fuses Middle High German ze næhste (“closest”), from ze (“to, at”) and the superlative of nāch (“near”).^[2][3][1] The Grimms' dictionary takes it as modelled on zuerst.^[3] In modern terms it is zu + nächst, the superlative of nah.^[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Grimms' dictionary finds the word in general use from the 16th century: Frisius writes zenächst and Hans Sachs zunechst, at first in the spatial sense “next to, closest to”.^[3] Rarer variants were zum nächsten (Wickram) and a reinforced zuallernächst.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The spatial sense, with a dative or with a preposition (zunächst an, zunächst bei), is now dated or literary.^[2][3][4] The temporal sense refers to what comes first in a sequence;^[2][1] Wiktionary explains it as the view from the starting point, where the next thing to do is the first.^[2][1] From “first of all” it also came to mean “for the time being”.^[4] Goethe sometimes used it like demnächst “soon”.^[2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. At first, to begin with, initially.^[4][1]
2. For the time being, for now.^[4][1]
3. (archaic) Next, then, after the first thing.^[1]

Preposition

1. (formal) With the dative: next to, closest to.^[4]

Related words

• nah
• nächst
• zuerst
• demnächst

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ 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, 546
4. ^ a b c d e Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag