kurz German · revision 34874

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=9th century|origins=ine-pro *(s)ker-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /kʊʁt͡s/, [kʰʊɐ̯t͡s]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''kurz''' (strong nominative masculine singular kurzer, comparative kürzer, superlative am kürzesten)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old High German also had the unshifted ''kurt'', found in Upper German and Franconian;^(EWA|5, 927)^(DWB|11, 2823) Otfrid uses both.^(EWA|5, 927)^(DWB|11, 2823)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|kurz]], [[inh|goh|kurz]], [[bor|la|curtus|t=shortened, docked, mutilated]], borrowed before the High German consonant shift, so that the Latin /t/ became /ts/.^(Kluge 2011|551)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|489) The unshifted Old High German [[m|goh|kurt]] is either the old form or a second borrowing.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|551) The Latin word also gave [[osx|kurt]], [[gml|kort]], [[dum|cort]] and [[ofs|kort]], today [[nl|kort]]; [[sv|kort]] and the other Scandinavian forms come from Middle Low German.^(EWA|5, 927)^(Kluge 2011|551) Old English must have had it too, as [[ang|cyrtel]], English [[m|en|kirtle]], shows.^(EWA|5, 927)

+

+ [[m|la|curtus]] means “cut off”, and belongs to the root [[ine-pro|*(s)ker-|t=to cut]] of [[scheren]].^(Kluge 2011|551)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|489)

+

+ Beside it Old High German had the native [[m|goh|skurz|t=short]], like [[ang|scort]], English [[m|en|short]]; it survives in [[Schurz]].^(EWA|8, 353)^(Wiktionary) The EWA explains its /u/ by the influence of the borrowed word;^(EWA|8, 353) Lühr and Matzel, on the other hand, take the adjective itself as a native variant without the initial /s/.^(EWA|8, 353) The Grimms' dictionary had already doubted that a borrowing from Latin explains everything.^(DWB|11, 2823)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''kurz'' is recorded from the 9th century, in glosses, the Murbach Hymns (810–817), the Middle Franconian Psalms, Otfrid and Notker, of short extent in space, short time and brief speech.^(EWA|5, 927)^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|187)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Many phrases go back a long way: ''über kurz oder lang'' “sooner or later” is Middle High German, with an Old High German forerunner around 1000;^(Pfeifer 1993) ''den Kürzeren ziehen'' “to lose out”, from drawing the shorter straw in a lot, is recorded from 1599;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) ''zu kurz kommen'' “to get less than one's share” is in Kramer (1700).^(Paul 2002) ''Jemanden kurz halten'' “to keep someone on a short rein” came from the leash of the hunting dog.^(Paul 2002)^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ As a discourse word ''kurz'' “in short”, introducing a summary, is used from the 15th century, in Geiler von Kaysersberg.^(Paul 2002) ''Kurze Waren'' (18th century) were goods not measured by the ell, at first also ironware and toys; today [[Kurzwaren]] are haberdashery.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) [[kurzerhand]] (18th century) renders legal Latin ''brevi manu''.^(Pfeifer 1993) [[hu|kudarc|t=failure]], recorded in 1575, is listed as a borrowing of this word.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 810–817 – Old High German ''kurz'' appears in the Murbach Hymns.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 9th century – The noun ''kurtī'' and the verb ''kurzen'' are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * c. 1000 – An early form of ''über kurz oder lang'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 15th century – ''kurz'' “in short” is used to introduce a summary.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1575 – Hungarian ''kudarc'' is recorded.^(LWP)

+ * 1599 – ''den Kürzeren ziehen'' is recorded.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1700 – Kramer records ''zu kurz kommen''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 19th century – ''Kurzwaren'' and ''Kurzschluss'' appear.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|short]] in space: ''ein kurzer Rock'', ''der kürzeste Weg''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Short in time, [[m|en|brief]]: ''eine kurze Pause''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of speech or writing: [[m|en|concise]], using few words: ''eine kurze Antwort''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(sport, especially football)'' Near, closest to the player who shoots: ''das kurze Eck''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Briefly, for a short time: ''Ich schaue kurz vorbei.''^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Just, shortly, a short time or distance before or after: ''kurz nach acht''.^(Wiktionary)^(Paul 2002)

+ # In short: ''Kurz, es hat sich gelohnt.''^(Wiktionary)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Kürze]]

+ * [[kürzen]]

+ * [[abkürzen]]

+ * [[verkürzen]]

+ * [[Kürzung]]

+ * [[kürzlich]]

+ * [[Kürzel]]

+ * [[Kurzweil]]

+ * [[kurzweilig]]

+ * [[kurzum]]

+ * [[kurzerhand]]

+ * [[Kurzwaren]]

+ * [[Kurzschluss]]

+ * [[kurzsichtig]]

+ * [[kurzfristig]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Schurz]]

+ * [[scheren]]

+ * [[en|short]]

+ * [[en|curt]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Kurz treten'' (from soldiers' language, where the inner rank takes shorter steps when wheeling) and ''kürzer treten'' mean “to cut back, take things easier”.^(Duden GWDS 1999) Adelung explains ''kurz angebunden'' “curt” as “quick to anger”, and connects it with tying a horse on a short rein.^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}