fünf German · revision 34894

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=790–802, Old High German Benedictine Rule|origins=ine-pro *pénkʷe}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /fʏnf/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Colloquial, regional: /fʏmf/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''fünf''' (cardinal number; usually uninflected)^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(DWB2|9, 1267)

+ Used alone, the numeral was inflected: ''fünfe'', dative ''fünfen''.^(Adelung 1793) Inflected forms stood before an omitted noun and in prepositional phrases until the 19th century, and became unusual towards the 20th.^(DWB2|9, 1267)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|vünf]], [[inh|goh|fimf]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*fimf]], [[inh|gem-pro|*fimf]], [[inh|ine-pro|*pénkʷe]].^(Kluge 2011|323)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same numeral is [[got|𐍆𐌹𐌼𐍆|tr=fimf]], [[non|fimm]], [[ang|fīf]], [[ofs|fīf]] and [[osx|fīf]], and today [[nl|vijf]], [[en|five]], [[sv|fem]] and [[is|fimm]].^(Kluge 2011|323)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) Outside Germanic it corresponds to [[sa|पञ्च|tr=páñca]], [[grc|πέντε|tr=pénte]], [[la|quīnque]], [[sga|cóic]] and [[lt|penkì]].^(Kluge 2011|323)^(Pfeifer 1993) Kluge adds [[cu|пѧть|tr=pętĭ]], which Pfeifer regards as a different formation, originally “a group of five”.^(Kluge 2011|323)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ The Germanic form is irregular: the expected outcome of the Indo-European word would have /hw/ in the middle.^(Kroonen 2013)^(Wiktionary) Kluge and Kroonen explain the /f/ by a change of the labiovelar to a labial after a resonant in words beginning with a labial, as in [[m|gem-pro|*wulfaz|t=wolf]];^(Kluge 2011|323)^(Kroonen 2013) Pfeifer and the Duden speak of assimilation of the second syllable to the first, before the Germanic sound shift, while in Latin the first syllable was assimilated to the second.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ In Old High German the vowel was /i/, with [[m|goh|funf]] in Notker.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(EWA|3, 239) Pfeifer and the EWA describe the Middle High German ⟨ü⟩ as rounding;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(EWA|3, 239) Paul holds that the umlaut first belonged only to the inflected form, [[m|goh|funfi]] in Old High German, which is why colloquial forms of [[fünfzehn]] and [[fünfzig]] keep the plain vowel.^(Paul 2002) Pfeifer, Wahrig and the Duden consider [[Finger]] and [[Faust]] possibly related, from the five fingers of a hand.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''fimf'' is recorded in glosses before the end of the 8th century and in many texts.^(Köbler AHD)^(EWA|3, 239) The Benedictine Rule (790–802) has ''fimfim pletirun'' “with five leaves”, and the Tatian (about 830) says of the ten virgins ''fimui fon then uuarun dumbo inti fimui uuiso'' “five of them were foolish and five wise”.^(DWB2|9, 1267)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Forms with /n/ are found from the start and have prevailed since the 13th century; forms with /m/ continue into the 15th.^(DWB2|9, 1267) The rounding is written now and then from the 11th century, regularly from the 13th.^(DWB2|9, 1267) Like the other numerals from four to twelve, Old High German ''fimf'' was inflected as an i-stem when it stood alone or after its noun, as in Otfrid's ''porzicha finfi'' “five porches”.^(EWA|3, 239)

+

+ The five senses are named already in Old High German.^(Paul 2002) As a school mark ''eine Fünf'' has meant “poor, deficient” since the early 20th century.^(Paul 2002) Phrases include ''fünf(e) gerade sein lassen'' “not to be too particular” (16th century) and ''das fünfte Rad am Wagen'' “a fifth wheel, someone superfluous”.^(Paul 2002) Compounds such as ''fünfunddreißig'' have been written as one word since the 16th century, though separate spelling lasted into the 19th.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 790–802 – ''fimf'' is used in the Old High German Benedictine Rule.^(DWB2|9, 1267)

+ * c. 830 – The Tatian has ''fimui'' “five” in the parable of the virgins.^(DWB2|9, 1267)

+ * 11th century – Notker writes ''funf''; the rounded vowel begins to be written.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB2|9, 1267)

+ * 13th century – The rounded ''vünf'' becomes regular, and forms with /n/ predominate.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB2|9, 1267)

+ * 15th century – The last forms with /m/ are recorded.^(DWB2|9, 1267)

+ * 16th century – ''fünf gerade sein lassen'' is recorded.^(Paul 2002)

+ * Early 20th century – ''Fünf'' is used as a school mark.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Numeral===

+ # [[m|en|five]], the cardinal number 5: ''fünf Äpfel''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(elliptical)'' Five o'clock: ''Wir treffen uns um fünf.''^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(elliptical)'' Five years old.^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Fünf]]

+ * [[Fünfer]]

+ * [[fünfte]]

+ * [[Fünftel]]

+ * [[fünfzehn]]

+ * [[fünfzig]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Finger]]

+ * [[Faust]]

+ * [[en|five]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Es ist fünf vor zwölf'' “it is five to twelve” means that it is high time to act.^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Fünf gerade sein lassen'' is “to turn a blind eye, not be too strict”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002) Colloquial ''fuffzehn'' and ''fuffzig'' continue Early New High German ''funffzehen'' and ''funffzig''.^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}