steigen German · revision 35003

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡən/, [ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡən], [ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''steigen''' (class 1 strong, third-person singular present steigt, past tense stieg, past participle gestiegen, auxiliary sein)^(Wiktionary)

+ The past singular ''steig'' was replaced by ''stieg'', from the plural, around 1600, after much variation in the 16th century; a by-form ''stiege'' is found in the 16th and 17th centuries.^(DWB|18, 1874) Weak imperatives such as ''steige'' appear from Schottel on and became more frequent in the 18th century.^(DWB|18, 1874)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|stīgen]], [[inh|goh|stīgan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*stīgan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*stīganą|t=to climb, ascend]].^(Kluge 2011|880)^(Wiktionary) The same strong verb is [[got|𐍃𐍄𐌴𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽|tr=steigan]], [[non|stíga]], [[ang|stīgan]] (obsolete English [[m|en|sty]]), [[ofs|stīga]] and [[osx|stīgan]], and today [[nl|stijgen]] and [[sv|stiga]].^(Kluge 2011|880)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ Outside Germanic it is related to [[grc|στείχω|tr=steíkhō|t=I march, go]], [[sga|tíagu|t=I go]], [[lt|steĩgti|t=to found, establish, (dialect) to hurry]] and [[cu|постигнѫти|tr=postignǫti|t=to reach, catch up with]], and perhaps also to [[la|vestīgium|t=footprint]] and [[lv|staigāt|t=to walk]].^(Kluge 2011|880)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) The root is [[ine-pro|*steygʰ-|t=to stride, climb]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Wiktionary) The sense “to stride” has left only traces in Germanic, chiefly in [[Steig]] “footpath”; the verb meant “to climb up or down” from the start.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002) Kluge calls the ⟨ie⟩ of the past forms an unexplained irregularity of the ablaut.^(Kluge 2011|880)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''stīgan'' is first recorded in glosses of the third quarter of the 8th century, and then in Otfrid, the Tatian, Notker and other texts, meaning “to climb, go up, go down”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Kluge 2011|880) Middle High German ''stīgen'' meant “to climb, rise, ascend”, the latter from Williram (1060–1065).^(Köbler MHD)^(Lexer 1872|2, 1194)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Germanic the verb was limited to going up or down; downwards only with a word of direction (''vom Berg steigen''), while without one upwards is understood.^(Paul 2002) It was soon used of any upward movement, as in Claudius's ''Abendlied'' (''aus den Wiesen steiget / Der weiße Nebel wunderbar''), and in Early New High German also of mountains that rise (1606) and of rockets (1677); it was used of aircraft from 1916.^(Paul 2002) Kites have been made to rise (''Drachen steigen lassen'') since the 18th century.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Figurative uses are old: beer that rises to the head is recorded in 1571, and ''jemandem aufs Dach steigen'' “to scold someone” in the 17th century.^(Paul 2002) From the 17th century the verb also meant “to rise in value”, as of gold in Harsdörffer and of shares in 1727, and then of prices generally.^(Paul 2002) The colloquial sense “to take place”, of a party or an event, is modern.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 3rd quarter of the 8th century – Old High German ''stīgan'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

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

+ * 1571 – First record of beer rising to the head.^(Paul 2002)

+ * c. 1600 – The past singular ''stieg'' replaces ''steig''.^(DWB|18, 1874)

+ * 1606 – Used of mountains rising.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 17th century – First uses for rising in value.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1727 – ''Die Actien steigen oder fallen'' is recorded.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1916 – Used of aircraft climbing.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|rise]], to move upwards: ''Rauch steigt aus dem Schornstein.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|climb]], to go up or down on foot: ''auf den Dachboden steigen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To step onto, into or out of something, especially a vehicle: ''in den Zug steigen'', ''vom Rad steigen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To rise in level: ''Das Wasser steigt.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|increase]] in amount or value: ''Die Mieten sind gestiegen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of demands or prospects: to grow.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' To take place: ''Am Samstag steigt das Fest.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of a horse: to [[m|en|rear]] up.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Steig]]

+ * [[Steige]]

+ * [[Stiege]]

+ * [[Steiger]]

+ * [[Steigung]]

+ * [[steigern]]

+ * [[Steigbügel]]

+ * [[Steigeisen]]

+ * [[aufsteigen]]

+ * [[absteigen]]

+ * [[aussteigen]]

+ * [[einsteigen]]

+ * [[umsteigen]]

+ * [[besteigen]]

+ * [[ersteigen]]

+ * [[versteigen]]

+ * [[verstiegen]]

+ * [[Aufstieg]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Steg]]

+ * [[steil]]

+ * [[Stegreif]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The proverb ''wer hoch steigt, fällt tief'' “the higher one climbs, the further one falls” warns against ambition.^(Duden GWDS 1999) The nouns formed from compounds of the verb end in ''-stieg'' (''Aufstieg'', ''Abstieg''), a pattern already found in Old High German ''ūfstīg''.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}