schreiben German · revision 34943

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=borrowing|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=la scrībō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈʃraɪ̯bən/, [ˈʃʁaɪ̯.bm̩], [-bən]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''schreiben''' (class 1 strong, third-person singular present schreibt, past tense schrieb, past participle geschrieben, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ The verbal noun ''Schreiben'' “letter, official communication” is recorded from the 16th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|schrīben]], [[inh|goh|scrīban]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*skrīban]], [[bor|la|scrībō|t=to write]].^(Kluge 2011|827)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The Latin verb first meant “to scratch, incise”, as with a stylus, and belongs to the family of [[scheren]] “to cut”.^(Kluge 2011|827)^(Duden 7 2014|758) The same borrowing is found in [[osx|skrīƀan]], [[ang|scrīfan|t=to decree, impose a penance]] and [[ofs|skrīva]], and today in [[nl|schrijven]] and [[sv|skriva]], while [[non|skrifa]] was taken from West Germanic.^(Kluge 2011|827)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|15, 1689) Old English developed the sense of hearing confession, which survives in [[en|shrive]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ The verb is strong in all the West Germanic languages, which is unusual for a loan.^(Kluge 2011|827) Kluge therefore does not rule out a native Germanic verb that was later reshaped after the Latin one,^(Kluge 2011|827) and the Duden takes the same view.^(Duden 7 2014|758) Pfeifer and the Grimms' dictionary think it was borrowed twice: first in the sense “to order, determine”, kept by the Old English verb, and later, with Roman writing, in the sense “to write letters”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|15, 1689) The Grimms connect the early loan with the enlisting of Germanic men in the Roman army.^(DWB|15, 1689) In English the native [[m|ang|wrītan]], which first meant “to scratch runes”, was applied to the new art instead, giving [[m|en|write]]; it is related to [[reißen]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|758)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''scrīban'' is first recorded in glosses of the later 8th century, and then in Isidor, the Tatian, Otfrid, Notker and Williram, meaning “to write, write down, describe”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|293) The agent noun ''skrībāri'' “scribe” is also recorded in the 8th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Middle High German ''schrīben'' meant “to write down, record”, but also “to describe, depict, paint” and “to decree, order”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler MHD) The Middle High German ''Tristan'' already pairs it with reading, ''si kunde schrîben unde lesen'' (“she could write and read”).^(Paul 2002) The ''Schreiber'' was a high official such as a chancellor or notary in the Middle Ages, and later a lower clerk.^(Duden 7 2014|758)

+

+ The noun ''Schreiben'' “letter” dates from the 16th century, and Adelung around 1800 considered it more formal than [[Brief]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Adelung 1793) The colloquial ''Schrieb'' “piece of writing”, formed with a vowel change like other verbal nouns, appears around 1900.^(Pfeifer 1993) Many prefixed verbs took on special senses: ''anschreiben'' “to note a debt” in the 15th century, hence ''gut angeschrieben sein'' “to be in someone's good books” in the 17th;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|758) ''einschreiben'' was used by the post office from 1875 in place of ''rekommandieren''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|758) The emphatic phrase ''sage und schreibe'' and ''etwas wird großgeschrieben'' “something is given great importance” belong to modern usage.^(Paul 2002) Polish borrowed the verb as ''szrajbować'' “to write excitedly”, recorded in 1844.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Later 8th century – Old High German ''scrīban'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 8th century – ''skrībāri'' “scribe” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 11th century – ''furiscrīban'' “to write at the beginning” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1060–1065 – Middle High German ''schrīben'' is used by Williram.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 15th century – ''anschreiben'' is used for noting a debt.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – The noun ''Schreiben'' “letter” appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – ''Anschrift'' “address” is used by Zesen.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1844 – Polish ''szrajbować'' is recorded.^(LWP)

+ * 1875 – ''einschreiben'' becomes the postal term for registering a letter.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Around 1900 – Colloquial ''Schrieb'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|write]], to form letters, figures or notes on a surface: ''mit dem Kugelschreiber schreiben''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(of a pen)'' To write in a particular way: ''der Füller schreibt gut''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To put together a word or number in letters or figures; to [[m|en|spell]]: ''einen Namen mit zwei n schreiben''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|compose]] a text: ''eine Bewerbung schreiben''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To compose music.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # To work as an [[m|en|author]] or journalist.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To send a written message to someone; reflexive, to [[m|en|correspond]]: ''sie schreibt ihrer Tante jede Woche''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(reflexive, colloquial)'' To be spelled: ''Wie schreibt sich dein Nachname?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(dated)'' To have as the date: ''man schrieb das Jahr 1815''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To enter a sum in an account: ''einen Betrag auf ein Konto schreiben''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # To certify a state of health in writing, as in ''krankschreiben''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Schreiber]]

+ * [[Schreiben]]

+ * [[Schrieb]]

+ * [[Schrift]]

+ * [[abschreiben]]

+ * [[Abschrift]]

+ * [[anschreiben]]

+ * [[Anschrift]]

+ * [[aufschreiben]]

+ * [[ausschreiben]]

+ * [[beschreiben]]

+ * [[Beschreibung]]

+ * [[einschreiben]]

+ * [[Einschreiben]]

+ * [[krankschreiben]]

+ * [[unterschreiben]]

+ * [[verschreiben]]

+ * [[vorschreiben]]

+ * [[Vorschrift]]

+ * [[zuschreiben]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Manuskript]]

+ * [[subskribieren]]

+ * [[la|scrībō]]

+ * [[en|shrive]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}