meinen German · revision 34871

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈmaɪ̯nən/, [ˈmaɪ̯nən], [ˈmaɪ̯nn̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''meinen''' (third-person singular present meint, past tense meinte, past participle gemeint, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|meinen]], [[inh|goh|meinen]], [[inh|gem-pro|*mainijaną|t=to mean, think]].^(Kluge 2011|613)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The verb is found only in West Germanic: the same word is [[osx|mēnian|t=to mean, mention, intend]], [[ang|mǣnan]], [[ofs|mēna]] and [[m|dum|mēnen]], and today [[nl|menen]] and [[en|mean]].^(Kluge 2011|613)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(EWA|6, 241) The Scandinavian forms such as [[sv|mena]] were borrowed from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch.^(EWA|6, 241)^(DWB|12, 1924) Outside Germanic it is related to [[cu|мѣнити|tr=měniti|t=to think, mention, consider]] and to [[sga|mían|t=wish, desire]].^(Kluge 2011|613)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ The further origin is disputed.^(Duden 7 2020|546) Kluge and Wahrig connect it with the root of [[Meineid]] and [[gemein]], [[ine-pro|*moino-|t=exchange]], so that the verb first meant “to give one's opinion in turn”.^(Kluge 2011|613)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) Pfeifer sets up a root [[ine-pro|*mein-|t=opinion, intention]], and Kroonen and Wiktionary a causative [[ine-pro|*moyn-éye-ti]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Wiktionary) The EWA rejects the causative, since the Germanic verbs have no causative sense, and takes the verb as derived from a noun matching the Celtic word, from the root [[ine-pro|*(h₂)mey-|t=to change, exchange]], with a development “wish for change” > “wish”.^(EWA|6, 241)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''meinen'' is recorded from the 8th century, in Isidor, the Weißenburger Katechismus (790), Otfrid and Notker, but in the glosses not before the 9th century.^(EWA|6, 241)^(Köbler AHD) It meant “to have in mind, intend, signify, say”, and ''ih meino'' was used for “that is, namely”.^(Schützeichel 2012|218)^(EWA|6, 241)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Paul describes the basic sense as “to have one's mind on something”, used of what a speaker has in mind (''wen meinst du?'') and of the intention behind actions, as in Luther.^(Paul 2002) With an adverb it expressed an attitude to someone, as in ''es gut mit jemandem meinen''.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) From the sense “to direct one's thoughts towards someone, be well disposed” Middle High German developed the sense “to love”, which survived in prose until the 17th century and in verse until the 19th, as in Schenkendorf's ''Freiheit, die ich meine''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ The sense now most common, “to be of the opinion”, is already found in Luther; in Middle High German this was expressed by ''wænen''.^(Paul 2002) The noun [[Meinung]], Old High German ''meinunga'' (about 1000), follows the senses of the verb;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) ''öffentliche Meinung'' (1798, Wieland) is a loan translation of French ''opinion publique'', replacing older ''gemeine Meinung'' (Stieler, 1691).^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) [[vermeinen]] goes back to Old High German ''firmeinen'' “to explain, prove” (9th century), and [[vermeintlich]] “supposed” is recorded from the 16th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''meinen'' is used in Isidor.^(EWA|6, 241)

+ * 790 – The verb appears in the Weißenburger Katechismus.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 9th century – ''firmeinen'' “to explain, prove” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * c. 1000 – The noun ''meinunga'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 13th century – Middle High German ''meinen'' “to love” is recorded.^(Kluge 2011|613)

+ * 16th century – Luther uses the verb for “to be of the opinion”;^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) ''vermeintlich'' appears.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1798 – Wieland uses ''öffentliche Meinung''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|think]], be of the [[m|en|opinion]]: ''er meint, es werde bald regnen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To mean to say, to express: ''was meinte er mit diesem Satz?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To have in mind, to [[m|en|refer]] to: ''welchen Film meinst du?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(formal)'' To believe, imagine: ''sie meinte, Schritte zu hören''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To say or do something with a certain [[m|en|intention]]: ''es gut meinen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # To say, remark: ''„Schon gut“, meinte sie''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Meinung]]

+ * [[vermeinen]]

+ * [[vermeintlich]]

+ * [[gemeint]]

+ * [[wohlmeinend]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Meineid]]

+ * [[gemein]]

+ * [[en|mean]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Kluge gives a separate, archaic ''meinen'' “to love”, recorded from the 13th century, which he takes as probably related to [[Minne]] and influenced early on by the common verb.^(Kluge 2011|613) Pfeifer and the Duden instead derive the sense “to love” from the common verb itself.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}