handeln German · revision 34970

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century|origins=gem-pro *handuz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈhandəln/, [ˈhandl̩n]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''handeln''' (third-person singular present handelt, past tense handelte, past participle gehandelt, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|handeln]], [[inh|goh|hantalōn|t=to touch, handle, treat]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*handulōn]], [[inh|gem-pro|*handulōną|t=to take in the hand, seize]].^(Kluge 2011|391)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same verb is [[osx|handlon]], [[non|handla]], [[ang|handlian]] (now [[en|handle]]) and [[ofs|handelia]].^(Kluge 2011|391)^(Pfeifer 1993) Kluge records a past tense form as early as the 8th century.^(Kluge 2011|391)

+

+ It is a derivative of [[Hand]], meaning “to do something with the hand”, like [[m|ang|cnēowlian|t=to kneel]] from [[m|ang|cnēow|t=knee]];^(Kluge 2011|391) Kluge notes that it seems to have had no middle vowel.^(Kluge 2011|391) The origin of [[gem-pro|*handuz|t=hand]] itself is disputed: Kluge considers a link with the verb seen in [[got|𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌷𐌹𐌽𐌸𐌰𐌽|tr=frahinþan|t=to capture]], the hand being “the grasper”, but finds it morphologically problematic.^(Kluge 2011|391)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''hantalōn'' is recorded in glosses of the first quarter of the 9th century and in Notker and Otfrid, meaning “to touch, feel, take in the hand, treat”;^(Köbler AHD)^(Adelung 1793)^(Wiktionary DE) Otfrid has ''mih sus ni hantoloti'' “that he should not treat me so”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Adelung 1793)^(Wiktionary DE) Middle High German still used it for “to take hold of, touch with the hands” and “to work with the hands”.^(Lexer 1872|1, 1166)^(FWB)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Middle High German the use widened greatly, especially to “to do, carry out, perform”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|391) The old transitive sense “to treat, deal with” is common in Luther (''sie werden ihn dienstbar machen und übel handeln''), but has since passed to [[behandeln]]; the intransitive use with an adverb, ''unrecht handeln'' “to act wrongly”, is also found in Luther.^(Paul 2002) From the 16th century, in connection with ''Handel'' “trade”, the verb took on the commercial sense “to trade”, and in the 17th century “to haggle over the price”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|353)

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+ The sense “to describe, treat a subject”, with an impersonal subject “to be about”, has been common since Luther;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) ''handeln von'' for writers and books dates from the 17th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) The impersonal ''es handelt sich um'' “it is a matter of” appears around 1800, probably after French ''il s'agit de''.^(Paul 2002) Max Weber made ''Handeln'' “action” a basic term of the social sciences.^(Paul 2002) Polish borrowed the word as [[m|pl|handlować]] “to trade” (1548).^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – The past form ''hantalod'' is recorded.^(Kluge 2011|391)

+ * Early 9th century – Old High German ''hantalōn'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 13th century – The noun [[Handel]] is formed from the verb.^(Kluge 2011|391)

+ * 14th century – ''Händler'' in the sense “one who does something, negotiator”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – The commercial sense “to trade” develops.^(Kluge 2011|391)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1548 – Polish ''handlować'' is recorded.^(LWP)

+ * 17th century – The sense “to haggle” develops.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ * Around 1800 – ''es handelt sich um'' appears.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|trade]], to deal in goods: ''mit Gebrauchtwagen handeln''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To do business with someone: ''mit vielen Ländern handeln''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To sell, offer for sale, also on the stock exchange; figuratively, to be talked of as a candidate: ''Sie wird als neue Direktorin gehandelt.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|haggle]], to bargain over a price.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|act]], take action; to behave in a particular way, also towards others: ''richtig handeln'', ''an jemandem gut handeln''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(formal)'' To speak or write about a subject; of a book or film, to be about: ''Der Roman handelt von einer Reise.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(impersonal, reflexive)'' ''es handelt sich um'': it is a matter of, it concerns.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Handel]]

+ * [[Handlung]]

+ * [[Händler]]

+ * [[behandeln]]

+ * [[verhandeln]]

+ * [[misshandeln]]

+ * [[abhandeln]]

+ * [[aushandeln]]

+ * [[unterhandeln]]

+ * [[zuwiderhandeln]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Hand]]

+ * [[Händel]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Er lässt mit sich handeln'' means that he is willing to come to terms.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002) A separate jargon verb ''handeln'', pronounced like English, is borrowed from [[en|handle]] and means “to handle, manage”.^(Duden Fremdwörterbuch 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}