zu German · revision 34790

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German|origins=gem-pro *tō, gem-pro *ta}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /t͡suː/, /t͡sə/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''zu'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The modern word unites an old adverb and an old preposition.^(Kluge 2011|1015)^(Wiktionary) The stressed adverb is [[inh|gmh|zuo]], [[inh|goh|zuo]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*tō]], also found as [[osx|tō]], [[ang|tō]] and [[ofs|tō]].^(Kluge 2011|1015)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Orel 2003) Beside it stood the unstressed preposition, Old High German [[m|goh|za]] and [[m|goh|zi]], Middle High German [[m|gmh|ze]], from [[gem-pro|*ta]], with [[m|osx|ti]] and [[m|ang|te]] in the related languages.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|1015)^(Orel 2003) Both live on in [[nl|toe]] and [[nl|te]] and in [[en|too]] and [[en|to]].^(Kluge 2011|1015) The corresponding [[got|𐌳𐌿|tr=du]] does not fit them in its sounds.^(Kluge 2011|1015)

+

+ Kluge compares the preposition with a postposition [[ine-pro|*-de|t=to, towards]] in [[grc|οἶκόνδε|tr=oîkónde|t=homewards]] and [[ae|vaēsmən-da|t=to the house]], and the adverb with [[ine-pro|*do]], apparently lengthened under stress in Germanic, as in [[la|quandō|t=when]], [[sga|do]], [[cy|du]], [[cu|до|tr=do|t=up to]] and [[lt|da-]].^(Kluge 2011|1015) Pfeifer traces all these, with [[m|la|dē|t=from, down from]], to an old instrumental of a demonstrative pronoun, [[ine-pro|*dē-]].^(Pfeifer 1993) The Duden calls the connection with the Greek, Latin and Russian words probable.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''za'', ''zi'' and ''ze'' and the adverb ''zuo'' are all recorded in the 8th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler AHD) The preposition meant “to, towards, into, at, on” and governed the dative, the accusative and the instrumental;^(Schützeichel 2012|406) Paul takes its first meaning to be nearness in space, without regard to the particular position.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the 10th century the stressed adverb ''zuo'' began to oust the preposition ''za'', ''zi'', ''ze'' and took over its functions, so that Old and Middle High German ''zuo'' was both adverb and preposition.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Lexer 1872|3, 1036) Upper German kept the old form as ''z’''.^(Paul 2002) The dialects still widely keep the stressed and unstressed forms apart.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The use of ''zu'' for a position at rest survives only in remnants: ''zu Hause'' “at home”, ''zu Wasser und zu Lande'' “by sea and by land”, ''zur Rechten'' “on the right”, and before place names, where ''zu München'' was at first “among the monks”.^(Paul 2002) The use with the infinitive and the use for an excessive degree (''zu weit'' “too far”) both grew out of the preposition.^(Duden 7 2020) The adverb came to mean “closed” (''die Tür ist zu''), originally “close up against it”, as opposed to ''auf'' “open”.^(Pfeifer 1993) The pair ''ab und zu'' meant “away and back, in and out” in the 15th century and “now and then” from the 19th.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''za'', ''zi'', ''ze'' and ''zuo'' are first recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 10th century – The adverb ''zuo'' begins to be used as a preposition.^(Lexer 1872|3, 1036)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 15th century – ''Ab und zu'' is recorded in the sense “away and back”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 19th century – ''Ab und zu'' comes to mean “now and then”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Preposition===

+ # To, [[m|en|towards]]; marking the goal of a movement: ''das Kind läuft zu der Mutter'' “the child runs to its mother”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # With, along with; marking something added: ''zu dem Essen gab es einen Wein'' “there was a wine with the meal”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # At, in; marking place, now mainly in fixed phrases: ''zu Hause'' “at home”, ''zu ebener Erde'' “at ground level”;^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''(dated)'' before place names.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # At, in; marking a point or period of time: ''zu Anfang des Jahres'' “at the beginning of the year”, ''zu Lebzeiten'' “during one's lifetime”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ # For; marking [[m|en|purpose]]: ''zum Trost'' “as a consolation”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Into; marking a result or transformation: ''zu Brei kochen'' “to boil to a mush”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)

+ # At; marking a price or rate, and to, in ratios.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Too; marking an [[m|en|excessive]] degree: ''der Weg ist zu weit'' “the way is too far”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+ # Closed, shut: ''die Tür ist zu'' “the door is shut”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ # Towards: ''nach Süden zu'' “towards the south”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ # Go on!, in ''nur zu!''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ===Particle===

+ # To, before an [[m|en|infinitive]].^(Wiktionary)^(Duden 7 2020)

+ # With an uninflected ordinal: in a group of: ''zu zweit'' “as a pair”.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[zum]]

+ * [[zur]]

+ * [[dazu]]

+ * [[nahezu]]

+ * [[zuerst]]

+ * [[zuletzt]]

+ * [[zunächst]]

+ * [[zuweilen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[bis]]

+ * [[jetzt]]

+ * [[en|to]]

+ * [[en|too]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}