Platz German · revision 34888

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=late 13th century|origins=grc πλατύς}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /plat͡s/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Platz''' ''m'' (genitive Platzes, plural Plätze, diminutive Plätzchen n or Plätzlein n or Platzerl n)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|plaz]], [[bor|fro|place|t=open space, square]], from [[la|platea|t=broad street]], from [[grc|πλατεῖα|tr=plateîa|t=street]], short for [[m|grc|πλατεῖα ὁδός|tr=plateîa hodós|t=broad way]], from [[m|grc|πλατύς|tr=platús|t=flat, broad]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) Kluge gives [[la-med|placea]] beside the French word as the source.^(Kluge 2011|710) Duden dates it to the end of the 13th century.^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ The masculine gender, against the feminine of the French word, probably follows nouns such as [[Markt]], [[Ort]] and [[Raum]].^(Pfeifer 1993) [[nl|plaats]] and [[en|place]] are borrowings of the same French word.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|710) Platz replaced the native [[goh|zīh|t=market square, place of assembly]].^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler AHD) Some of its modern senses owe something to English.^(Kluge 2011|710)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Middle High German ''plaz'', ''platz'' meant “open space”, in particular a dancing ground, tournament ground or battlefield, and also “dance, game”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler MHD) Paul gives the market square of a town, a widening of the street, as its first sense.^(Paul 2002) An early dated record is in Konrad von Würzburg's ''Trojanerkrieg'' (1281–1287).^(Köbler MHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the square of a town the word spread to open spaces of every kind, as in ''Exerzierplatz'', ''Spielplatz'' and ''Schauplatz'', to a centre of trade (''Handelsplatz''), and in military language to a fortified place.^(Paul 2002) It also came to mean the space that a person or thing takes up, as in ''Platz nehmen'' “to take a seat” and [[Sitzplatz]], a rank or office, and free room for something (''Platz haben'', ''Platz machen'').^(Paul 2002) Older ''Platz geben'' “to give way” is found in Lessing.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ German ''Platz'' was borrowed into Hungarian as [[m|hu|placc]], recorded in 1641 in the sense “arena; public”,^(LWP) and into Polish and Czech as [[m|pl|plac]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 10th century – The native ''zīh'' “public meeting place” is recorded in a gloss.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * Late 13th century – Middle High German ''plaz'' is recorded.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Kluge 2011|710)

+ * 1281–1287 – Konrad von Würzburg uses ''plaz'' in the ''Trojanerkrieg''.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 1641 – Hungarian ''placc'' is recorded.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|square]], an open area in a town; a larger level area set aside for a purpose.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A sports ground: a [[m|en|pitch]], court or course.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A place, spot, location, also a business location: ''Die Vase steht nicht an ihrem Platz.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[m|en|seat]] or position that someone occupies: ''Ist dieser Platz frei?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Room, space: ''Im Kofferraum ist kein Platz mehr.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A place or rank in a competition or ranking: ''den dritten Platz belegen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Platz!'': a command to a dog to lie down.^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Marktplatz]]

+ * [[Schauplatz]]

+ * [[Spielplatz]]

+ * [[Sportplatz]]

+ * [[Sitzplatz]]

+ * [[Stehplatz]]

+ * [[Arbeitsplatz]]

+ * [[Plätzchen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[platzieren]]

+ * [[platt]]

+ * [[en|place]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Ein Platz an der Sonne'', a share of happiness and success, comes from a saying of the chancellor Bernhard von Bülow.^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Platz greifen'' means “to take hold, spread”, and ''am Platz sein'' “to be appropriate”.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) A regional ''Platz'' is a flat cake, today best known in the diminutive [[Plätzchen]] “biscuit”;^(Kluge 2011|710)^(Pfeifer 1993) ''platzbecke'' “cake baker” is recorded in the 14th century.^(Kluge 2011|710)^(Pfeifer 1993) Kluge gives it a numbered entry of its own and derives it from [[platzen]], while Pfeifer and the Duden take it as the same word, named from the flat shape.^(Kluge 2011|710)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}