suchen German · revision 34947

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=ine-pro *seh₂g-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈzuːxən/, [ˈzuː.xn̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''suchen''' (third-person singular present sucht, past tense suchte, past participle gesucht, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|suochen]], [[inh|goh|suohhen]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*sōkijan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*sōkijaną|t=to seek]].^(Kluge 2011|897)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)^(Kroonen 2013) The same verb is [[got|𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽|tr=sōkjan]], [[non|sœkja]], [[ang|sēcan]], [[ofs|sēka]] and [[osx|sōkian]], continued in [[en|seek]] and [[nl|zoeken]].^(Kluge 2011|897)^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ Within Germanic it looks like a causative beside the strong verb [[gem-pro|*sakaną|t=to dispute]] (see [[Sache]]), and Pfeifer takes it as such, in ablaut with [[got|𐍃𐌰𐌺𐌰𐌽|tr=sakan|t=to quarrel]].^(Pfeifer 1993) Kluge leaves the analysis open because the verb compares better outside Germanic,^(Kluge 2011|897) and Kroonen finds a causative unlikely because of the e-grade of the Greek and Latin cognates and the non-causative meaning.^(Kroonen 2013) The cognates are [[la|sāgiō|t=to perceive keenly]], [[sga|saigid|t=seeks]], [[grc|ἡγέομαι|tr=hēgéomai|t=to lead]] and [[hit|šakk-|t=to know]], from [[ine-pro|*seh₂g-|t=to seek out]].^(Kluge 2011|897)^(Wiktionary) The starting point was probably a hound picking up a scent, which could lead both to “seek” and to “lead”.^(Kluge 2011|897)^(Duden 7 2020|839)

+

+ The vowel without umlaut is originally Upper German, supported by the past forms, beside an umlauted Central German form like [[lb|sichen]].^(Wiktionary)^(DWB|20, 834)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''suohhen'' is first recorded in glosses of about 765 and then in the Isidor translation, the Monsee fragments, Tatian, Otfrid and Notker, meaning “to seek, search for, investigate, demand, strive for”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|322) The Monsee fragments say ''diin muoter enti bruoder stantant uze suohhent dih'' “your mother and brothers stand outside seeking you”, and Tatian ''thie suohhit findit'' “he who seeks finds”.^(DWB|20, 834)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From Old High German on the verb meant not only trying to find something hidden or lost but also striving after something.^(Duden 7 2020|839)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) Paul takes “to track down, seek out” (even what one knows the place of) as the wider, original Germanic sense, kept in [[aufsuchen]], [[besuchen]] and [[heimsuchen]].^(Paul 2002) The legal use, as in ''besuchen'' and ''ersuchen'', is recorded in the Grimms' dictionary.^(DWB|20, 834) In hunting the verb means “to track”, and ''Suche'' has named the work of the tracking dog since the 16th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|839)

+

+ The construction with ''zu'' and an infinitive, “to try to”, is in use from Early New High German.^(Paul 2002) The participle ''gesucht'' came to mean “in demand” in the merchants' language of the 17th century and “affected, contrived” in the 18th.^(Paul 2002) The phrase asking what someone has ''hier zu suchen'' was probably legal in origin.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 765 – Old High German ''suohhen'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 16th century – ''Suche'' is used for the work of a tracking dog.^(Duden 7 2020|839)

+ * 17th century – ''gesucht'' “in demand” appears in merchants' language.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 18th century – ''gesucht'' “affected, contrived” is recorded.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|search]] for, look for someone or something lost or hidden; also with ''nach'': ''Er sucht seine Schlüssel.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To try to obtain something one needs: ''eine Arbeit suchen'';^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Zimmer gesucht''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To try to find out by thinking: ''nach einer Lösung suchen'';^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''nach Worten suchen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To [[m|en|seek]], to strive for: ''Rat suchen'';^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002) ''Streit suchen'';^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002) ''sein Glück suchen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''(formal)'', with ''zu'' and an infinitive: to try, [[m|en|endeavour]]: ''Sie suchte ihn zu beruhigen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(hunting)'' To track game.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Suche]]

+ * [[Sucher]]

+ * [[besuchen]]

+ * [[Besuch]]

+ * [[versuchen]]

+ * [[Versuch]]

+ * [[Versuchung]]

+ * [[untersuchen]]

+ * [[Untersuchung]]

+ * [[ersuchen]]

+ * [[Gesuch]]

+ * [[aussuchen]]

+ * [[ausgesucht]]

+ * [[aufsuchen]]

+ * [[heimsuchen]]

+ * [[absuchen]]

+ * [[Suchmaschine]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Sache]]

+ * [[en|seek]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Wer sucht, der findet'' goes back to Matthew 7:7, in Luther ''suchet, so werdet ihr finden''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002) ''Irgendwo nichts zu suchen haben'' means “to have no business being somewhere”, and ''seinesgleichen suchen'' “to be without equal”.^(Duden GWDS 1999) The verb was borrowed into the Polish dialect of Teschen as ''zuchtać'' “to search, snoop around”.^(LWP)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}