wenig German · revision 34877

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=9th century|origins=gem-pro *wainagaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈveːnɪç/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Austria, Southern Germany, Switzerland: /ˈveːnɪk/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''wenig''' (strong nominative masculine singular weniger, comparative weniger or minder, superlative am wenigsten or am mindesten)^(Wiktionary)

+ Middle High German had ''wênec'' beside ''weinic'', and forms with ''-ei-'' last into the older New High German: Luther wrote both ''weinig'' and ''wenig''.^(DWB|29, 1) The comparative ''minder'' and the superlative ''am mindesten'' continue Middle High German ''minder'' and ''minnest''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|weinic]], [[m|gmh|wênec]], [[inh|goh|wēnag|t=pitiable, wretched]], [[inh|gem-pro|*wainagaz|t=woeful, miserable]].^(Kluge 2011|982)^(Wiktionary)^(Kroonen 2013) The same word is [[got|𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌷𐍃|tr=wainahs|t=wretched]], [[gml|wēnich]] and [[dum|weinich]], today [[nl|weinig]].^(Kluge 2011|982)^(Pfeifer 1993) The Gothic word occurs only once, and its reading is not certain.^(DWB|29, 1)

+

+ It is derived from the verb [[weinen]], so it originally meant “to be wept over, pitiable”.^(Kluge 2011|982)^(Duden 7 2020|928)^(Kroonen 2013) Pfeifer and Paul trace it further, like that verb, to the interjection of pain [[gem-pro|*wai]], the source of [[weh]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) The diphthong /ei/ is the original vowel; the /ē/ arose under the influence of [[goh|wē|t=woe]].^(Wiktionary)^(DWB|29, 1)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''wēnag'' is recorded from the 9th century, in the ''Muspilli'', the Murbach Hymns, Otfrid, Notker and Williram, meaning “unhappy, wretched, poor, pitiable” and “small”.^(Schützeichel 2012|379)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From “pitiable, wretched” the sense moved to “weak, small”, and already in Middle High German ''wenig'' became the opposite of [[viel]].^(Pfeifer 1993) The old meaning is still used poetically by Goethe;^(Pfeifer 1993) Luther wrote ''du bist das wenigste unter den Völkern'' “you are the smallest of the peoples”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Middle High German mostly used the neuter as a noun, “a small quantity”, with a genitive (''wenec brotes'' “little bread”); like ''viel'', it later became an attributive adjective.^(Paul 2002) The present rule, uninflected in the singular (''wenig Geld'') and inflected in the plural (''wenige Leute''), is recent: Goethe and Lessing still wrote ''mit wenig Worten''.^(Paul 2002) ''Ein wenig'' stresses that there is something, ''wenig'' that there is not much.^(Paul 2002) The adjective [[winzig]] is a derivative of ''wenig''.^(Duden 7 2020|928)^(Kluge 2011|982)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 9th century – Old High German ''wēnag'' “pitiable” is recorded.^(Kluge 2011|982)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1479 – Steinhöwel writes ''wienig'', one of the south-western forms with a closed vowel.^(DWB|29, 1)

+ * 16th century – Luther uses both ''weinig'' and ''wenig''.^(DWB|29, 1)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun and numeral===

+ # ''(singular, often uninflected)'' [[m|en|little]], not much: ''wenig Zeit haben'', ''Das ist sehr wenig.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(plural)'' [[m|en|few]], not many: ''Nur wenige Gäste blieben bis Mitternacht.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(singular, inflected)'' A small number of single things: ''Er hat nur weniges davon gelesen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''ein wenig'': a little, a bit: ''ein wenig Salz''.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Not often, not much: ''Sie schläft wenig.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Not very, only slightly: ''eine wenig bekannte Sängerin''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[wenigstens]]

+ * [[winzig]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[weinen]]

+ * [[weh]]

+ * [[minder]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}