Etymologically
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zuständig

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈt͡suːˌʃtɛndɪç/, /ˈt͡suːˌʃtɛndɪk/[1]

Forms

zuständig (strong nominative masculine singular zuständiger, not comparable)[1]

Etymology

It is from German zustehen + -ig.[2][3] The Grimms' dictionary finds no Middle High German form, but a Middle Low German equivalent tôstendich and a Middle Dutch one, and in early New High German the adjective follows the senses of the verb zustehen closely.[2] Wiktionary DE derives it instead from Zustand with a vowel change;[4] the Grimms' dictionary rejects a link with that noun, which it considers younger.[2]

The verb stehen belongs with Latin stō (“to stand”), Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi, “to set up”) and Sanskrit तिष्ठति (tíṣṭhati, “stands”) to Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand”).[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest records, in Luther's letters, Fischart and Paracelsus, mean “belonging to someone by right”, of lands, subjects and goods, and also “imminent”, of a time or an illness.[2]

Semantic evolution

Around 1800 Adelung still gave only “belonging to someone, being someone's property”, and called Zuständigkeit more Upper German than standard.[3] Today the usual sense is “responsible, competent”, above all of authorities, courts and offices, and Austrian official language uses zuständig nach for the place where someone has the right of residence.[7]

Timeline

  • 16th century – Luther and Fischart use zuständig “belonging by right”.[2]
  • 1616 – An edition of Paracelsus uses it for “imminent”.[2]
  • 1793 – Adelung records only the sense “belonging to someone”.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Responsible for something, having the competence or jurisdiction to deal with it: Für Reklamationen ist der Kundendienst zuständig.[7][1]
  2. (Austria, official) zuständig nach: having the right of residence in a place: Er ist nach Graz zuständig.[7]

Word family

  • Zuständigkeit

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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. 32, 845
  3. ^ a b c Adelung, Johann Christoph (1793–1801), Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart, 2nd ed., 4 vols., Leipzig: Breitkopf
  4. ^ Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
  5. ^ Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
  6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  7. ^ a b c Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag