Gemeinde German · revision 34838

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * Germany: /ɡəˈmaɪ̯ndə/^(Wiktionary)

+ * /ɡeˈmaɪ̯ndɛ/, [ɡ̊e-]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Austria, Southern-Germany, Switzerland: [-mɑɛ̯n-]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Gemeinde''' ''f'' (genitive Gemeinde, plural Gemeinden)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|gemeinde]], [[inh|goh|gimeinida|t=community]], an abstract noun formed from the adjective [[goh|gimeini|t=common]], now [[gemein]], in its old sense “general, common to all”.^(Kluge 2011|345)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) Kluge thinks that it was probably formed under the influence of [[la|commūnio|t=fellowship]].^(Kluge 2011|345) Related formations are [[osx|gimēntha]], [[dum|ghemeente]], [[nl|gemeente]] and [[got|𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌸𐍃|tr=gamainþs|t=congregation]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)^(DWB|5, 3220)

+

+ The adjective, [[gem-pro|*gamainiz]], is also [[got|𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃|tr=gamains]] and [[ang|gemǣne]], whence English [[m|en|mean]]; like [[m|la|commūnis]], it is a prefixed form built on a root meaning “to exchange”, [[ine-pro|*mei-]], which Pfeifer also finds in [[Meineid]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2007)^(Köbler AHD) Its first sense would thus have been “falling to several in turn”, then “belonging to several alike”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2007)

+

+ A parallel noun without the suffix, [[goh|gimeinī]], Gothic [[m|got|𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌴𐌹|tr=gamainei]], survives as [[Gemeine]], which was largely replaced by Gemeinde in the 19th century but lives on in Upper German.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2007)^(DWB|5, 3220)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''gimeinida'' is first recorded in the Weißenburg Catechism (about 790?), and then in Otfrid, the Sankt Gallen Paternoster and Credo and the glosses, meaning “community, fellowship”, also “participation”, “kind” and “church”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|218) The Isidor translation has ''chimeinidh'' for Latin ''communio''.^(DWB|5, 3220)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Middle High German ''gemeinde'' meant “share, community, common property, the people one lives with, an assembled crowd”.^(Pfeifer 1993) In Early New High German it was used for common land such as pastures and woods, for the inhabitants of a place as a legal community and for the place itself, for any crowd or company, especially the Christian congregation, and for an assembly.^(FWB) The masculine and neuter forms found in older Low German show how widely the word was used.^(DWB|5, 3220)

+

+ Adelung, around 1800, noted that the general sense “any society” was obsolete apart from the Bible, and that the word now meant the inhabitants of a place, especially of a village, under their local authority, and a church congregation.^(Adelung 1793) From these come the modern senses of the lowest unit of state and church administration, and, by extension, a group of followers or admirers.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The word was borrowed into Polish as ''gmina'' (1570), which now names the Polish municipality, and into Slovene as ''gmajna'' “community, common pasture”.^(LWP)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 790 – Old High German ''gimeinida'' appears in the Weißenburg Catechism.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 9th century – Otfrid uses ''gimeinida''.^(Schützeichel 2012|218)

+ * 1570 – Polish ''gmina'' “association” is recorded.^(LWP)

+ * 1793 – Adelung records the senses “inhabitants of a place” and “church congregation”.^(Adelung 1793)

+ * 19th century – ''Gemeinde'' largely replaces ''Gemeine''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|municipality]], the lowest unit of state administration.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[m|en|parish]], the lowest unit of a religious community.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The inhabitants of a municipality, or the members of a parish: ''Die Gemeinde stimmt über den neuen Sportplatz ab.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # The [[m|en|congregation]] assembled at a service.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A group of people with shared interests, a [[m|en|following]]: ''die Gemeinde eines Liedermachers''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Gemeinderat]]

+ * [[Gemeindehaus]]

+ * [[Kirchengemeinde]]

+ * [[Marktgemeinde]]

+ * [[eingemeinden]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[gemein]]

+ * [[Gemeine]]

+ * [[Gemeinschaft]]

+ * [[gemeinsam]]

+ * [[Allmende]]

+ * [[Meineid]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}