treten German · revision 35019

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=early 9th century, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *trudaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * [ˈtʰʁ̥eːtn̩], [ˈtʰʁ̥eːtən], /ˈtʁeːtɛn/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Germany: [ˈtʰʁ̥eːʔ̩n]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''treten''' (class 5 strong, third-person singular present tritt, past tense trat, past participle getreten, past subjunctive träte, auxiliary haben or sein)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|treten]], [[inh|goh|tretan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*tredan|t=to tread]].^(Kluge 2011|929)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The West Germanic strong verb is also continued in [[ang|tredan]], [[ofs|treda]], [[gml|treden]] and [[dum|treden]].^(Kluge 2011|929)^(Pfeifer 1993) Beside it stands a form with the vowel /u/, [[got|𐍄𐍂𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽|tr=trudan]] and [[non|troða]], which goes back to [[gem-pro|*trudaną]].^(Kluge 2011|929)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) Pfeifer regards the West Germanic verb as a new formation by ablaut beside the Gothic and Norse one, and the Grimms' dictionary notes that the North and East Germanic verb belongs to the fourth ablaut class, the West Germanic one to the fifth.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|22, 183)

+

+ No exact match has been found outside Germanic.^(Kluge 2011|929)^(Duden 7 2020|872) Kluge and the Duden therefore take the group to be imitative in origin, like [[trampeln]] and [[traben]].^(Kluge 2011|929)^(Duden 7 2020|872) Pfeifer suggests, with reserve, a participle [[ine-pro|*druto-]] of [[ine-pro|*dreu-|t=to run]], an extension of [[ine-pro|*der(ə)-|t=to run, tread, trip]], which would also connect it with [[Treppe]].^(Pfeifer 1993) The Grimms' dictionary objects to that link on the side of meaning, since treading as a verb of motion seems to be secondary.^(DWB|22, 183)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''tretan'' appears in glosses of the early 9th century and then in the Tatian, Otfrid and Notker, meaning “to tread, trample” and “to press hard”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|336) The prefixed ''firtretan'' and ''gitretan'' are recorded already in the 8th century.^(Kluge 2011|929)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The oldest uses concern setting the foot on something and trampling it; as a verb of motion, “to step somewhere”, the word seems to be secondary.^(DWB|22, 183) Old High German also had a weak causative ''tretten'' “to trample down” (11th century), which merged in form with the strong verb in late Middle High German and survives only in dialect participles such as Luxembourgish ''getratt''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|22, 237)

+

+ With nouns of state the verb came to mark a beginning: ''in Kraft treten'' “to come into force”, ''in den Ruhestand treten'' “to retire”.^(Paul 2002) Many derivatives took on figurative senses: ''Auftritt'' “scene of a play” is recorded from the 18th century, the participle ''betreten'' “embarrassed”, properly “caught in the act”, from the 16th, and ''austreten'' as a euphemism for going to the toilet, properly “to leave the room”, from the 19th.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|872) The ''Tretmühle'', a treadmill driven by men or animals, is recorded from the 15th century and has meant dull daily work since the 19th.^(Duden 7 2020|872) Polish ''tratować'' “to trample” (1480) is a borrowing of the German verb.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – The prefixed ''firtretan'' and ''gitretan'' are recorded.^(Kluge 2011|929)

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

+ * 11th century – The causative ''tretten'' “to trample down” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 15th century – ''Tretmühle'' appears.^(Duden 7 2020|872)

+ * 1480 – Polish ''tratować'' “to trample” is recorded, borrowed from German.^(LWP)

+ * 16th century – The participle ''betreten'' “embarrassed” appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – ''Auftritt'' is used for a scene of a play.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 19th century – ''austreten'' is used as a euphemism for relieving oneself.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|step]], take one or a few steps in a certain direction (with ''sein''): ''Sie trat in den Garten.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To tread on or in something, by accident (with ''sein'', less often ''haben'') or on purpose (with ''haben''): ''Er ist auf eine Schnecke getreten.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|kick]] someone or something (with ''haben''): ''Das Pferd hat den Knecht getreten.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To work a pedal or [[m|en|treadle]] with the foot; to [[m|en|pedal]].^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(football)'' To take a free kick, corner or penalty.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # With a noun, to enter a state or begin an action: ''in Kraft treten'' “to come into force”, ''in den Ruhestand treten'' “to retire”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # Of poultry and game birds, to [[m|en|mate]] with (a hen).^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Tritt]]

+ * [[betreten]]

+ * [[vertreten]]

+ * [[Vertreter]]

+ * [[auftreten]]

+ * [[Auftritt]]

+ * [[antreten]]

+ * [[abtreten]]

+ * [[austreten]]

+ * [[eintreten]]

+ * [[übertreten]]

+ * [[zertreten]]

+ * [[Tretmühle]]

+ * [[Leisetreter]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Treppe]]

+ * [[trampeln]]

+ * [[traben]]

+ * [[Trott]]

+ * [[en|tread]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Jemandem zu nahe treten'' is to offend someone, and ''in jemandes Fußstapfen treten'' is to follow someone's example.^(Paul 2002) The imperative is ''tritt'', occasionally ''trete''.^(Paul 2002) Upper German and some Central German dialects have weak or double forms of the participle.^(DWB|22, 183)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}