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zusätzlich

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Etymology and origin of the German word zusätzlich

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
early 16th century, Luther
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic (*satjaną)

Pronunciation

  • [ˈt͡suːˌzɛt͡slɪç][1]

Forms

zusätzlich (strong nominative masculine singular zusätzlicher, not comparable)[1] The older spelling was zusetzlich, as in Luther and Logau.[2]

Etymology

It is formed from German Zusatz + -lich.[1][3][4] The noun “addition” is Middle High German and belongs to zusetzen (“to add”), from zu and setzen.[4] The simple verb is Old High German sezzen, Proto-Germanic *satjaną, the causative of sitzen.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Luther uses it for what is added to the Mass and foreign to it, as opposed to what properly belongs to it (zusetzlich und frembd).[2][4] A letter of 1525 has it in an older sense, “helping, supporting”, of help given.[2]

Semantic evolution

Logau uses it of the adjective as a grammatical term, an “added” word.[2] In the 19th century it is found in legal writing for an additional punishment and in Bismarck's letters, and today it is both an adjective and an adverb.[2][6]

Timeline

  • 1525 – zusetzlich “helping” in a Saxon letter.[2]
  • Early 16th century – Luther uses zusetzlich “added”.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Additional, extra: für das Gepäck ist eine zusätzliche Gebühr fällig.[6][1]

Adverb

  1. In addition, as well: sie gibt zusätzlich Nachhilfe.[6][1]
  • Zusatz
  • zusetzen

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 32, 785
  3. ^ Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
  4. ^ a b c Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
  5. ^ Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
  6. ^ a b c Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
Cite this entry

“Zusätzlich.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/de/zus%C3%A4tzlich. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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