bisher German · revision 35008

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 1150, Lamprecht's Alexander|origins=gmh biz, goh hera}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /bɪsˈheːɐ̯/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''bisher'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Until the early 17th century it was also written separately, ''bis her''.^(DWB2|5, 300) An extended form ''bishero'' is also recorded.^(DWB|2, 46)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|bizher]], formed from [[bis]] and [[her]].^(DWB2|5, 300)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler MHD)^(Wiktionary) The same formation is [[gml|bethēr]].^(DWB2|5, 300)

+

+ The first part, [[m|gmh|biz]], is probably a fusion of [[m|gmh|bī|t=by]] and [[m|gmh|ze|t=to]] (now [[bei]] and [[zu]]), which lost its vowel before prepositions beginning with a vowel; it took the place of several older expressions in the 12th century.^(Kluge 2011|126)^(Pfeifer 1993) The second, [[goh|hera|t=hither]], is built with a suffix of direction on the pronominal stem that marks the speaker's place.^(Kluge 2011|410)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The earliest quotation in the revised Grimm dictionary is from Lamprecht's ''Alexander'' (about 1150), where none of the battles since the time of Darius that have happened ''bizher'' “until now” can compare.^(DWB2|5, 300)^(Köbler MHD) It meant “up to now, up to the present”.^(DWB2|5, 300)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The meaning has stayed the same: “from some time in the past until now”.^(DWB2|5, 300)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The Vocabularius theutonicus of 1482 glosses ''biszhere'' with Latin ''hucusque'', and Luther uses both ''bis her'' and ''bis anher'' in Genesis and Exodus.^(DWB|2, 46) Early New High German used it in the same sense, “until this time”.^(FWB) The Grimms also quote Dahlmann's phrase ''die bürgerliche Gesellschaft von bisher'' “the society of the past”, with the word used like a noun after a preposition.^(DWB|2, 46)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1150 – Middle High German ''bizher'' is used in Lamprecht's ''Alexander''.^(DWB2|5, 300)^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 1263 – The word appears in a charter.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 1482 – The Vocabularius theutonicus records ''biszhere''.^(DWB|2, 46)

+ * Early 17th century – Writing it separately goes out of use.^(DWB2|5, 300)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # So far, until now, [[m|en|hitherto]]: ''Bisher hat niemand angerufen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # With a negative: not yet, never so far: ''ein bisher unbekannter Brief''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[bisherig]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[bis]]

+ * [[her]]

+ * [[bislang]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}