feiern German · revision 34989

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=c. 800, Old High German glosses|origins=la fēriae}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈfaɪ̯ɐn/, [ˈfaɪ̯ɐn]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''feiern''' (third-person singular present feiert, past tense feierte, past participle gefeiert, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|vīren]], [[inh|goh|fīrōn]], a verb formed from the noun [[m|goh|fīra|t=feast, rest]], now [[Feier]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)^(EWA|3, 303) That noun is [[bor|la-lat|fēria|t=feast day]], a singular made in Late Latin from the plural [[m|la|fēriae|t=days of rest, holidays]], which also gave [[Ferien]].^(Kluge 2011|284)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2007)

+

+ Pfeifer and the Duden hold that the verb was modelled on the Medieval Latin verb for “to celebrate, rest”,^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2007) but the EWA notes that an active Latin verb of this kind is hardly attested and that a copy would be expected to take another form, so it treats the verb as formed in German from the noun.^(EWA|3, 303) The vowel /iː/ for Latin /eː/ is unusual: Kluge, following Bammesberger, and the EWA, following Weisgerber, explain it by Irish mediation, since Latin /eː/ appears as /iː/ in Celtic.^(Kluge 2011|284)^(EWA|3, 304) The Latin plural belongs to the language of religion and is related to [[m|la|fēstus|t=festive]] and [[m|la|fānum|t=temple]].^(Duden 7 2007)^(EWA|3, 304)

+

+ The same verb is [[osx|fīrion]], [[ofs|fīria]] and [[nl|vieren]], and the Scandinavian verbs were borrowed from Middle Low German.^(EWA|3, 303)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''fīrōn'' is found from about 800 in glosses, then in the Tatian, Otfrid and Notker, meaning “to celebrate, keep a feast”, but also “to rest, be idle, be free of something”.^(Köbler AHD)^(EWA|3, 303)^(Schützeichel 2012|104) The Tatian (about 830) uses it of priests who ''in sambaztag ni uiront'' “do not keep the Sabbath” in the temple.^(DWB2|9, 264)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The verb first referred to keeping a church feast, and its object could be the time kept (Luther: ''solt jn feiren dem HERRN zum Fest'', Exodus 12:14) or the occasion, as a wedding or a hero.^(Paul 2002) From this came the sense “to honour, praise”, and in the participle ''gefeiert'' “acclaimed, successful”.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ Like Latin ''fēriae'', the medieval noun also meant “rest from work”.^(Paul 2002) The noun lost this sense, which passed in part to [[Ferien]], borrowed in the 16th century, but the intransitive verb kept it: “the workshops were idle” (Thomas Mann).^(Paul 2002) Today this survives as a colloquial sense “to be laid off, have no work”, as in [[krankfeiern]].^(Duden GWDS 1999) In recent youth slang the verb also means “to love, be thrilled by” something.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 800 – Old High German ''fīrōn'' is first recorded, in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * c. 830 – The Tatian uses it of keeping the Sabbath.^(DWB2|9, 264)

+ * 1534 – Luther's Bible: ''feiren dem HERRN zum Fest''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 16th century – ''Ferien'' is borrowed, taking over the sense “rest from work” from the noun ''Feier''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|celebrate]] a festival or occasion: to hold a birthday, wedding or Christmas as a feast; also to celebrate a church service.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of a person or team: to have, enjoy (a success): ''ein Comeback feiern'', ''einen Sieg feiern''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|party]], be merry together: ''Die Studenten feierten bis zum Morgen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|acclaim]], honour someone (as something): ''Man feierte den Torwart als Helden'';^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''(formal)'' to praise in verse.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' To be off work, usually against one's will.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(colloquial, youth slang)'' To love, [[m|en|adore]] something.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[krankfeiern]]

+ * [[abfeiern]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Feier]]

+ * [[Feierabend]]

+ * [[Feiertag]]

+ * [[feierlich]]

+ * [[Ferien]]

+ * [[Fest]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}