Foto German · revision 35036

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=clipping|attested=1859|origins=en photography}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈfoːto/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Foto''' ''n'' (genitive Fotos, plural Fotos)^(Wiktionary)

+ In Switzerland it is also feminine, ''die Foto''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Duden Fremdwörterbuch 2007) The spelling ''Photo'' was the usual one until the middle of the 20th century.^(DWB2|9, 853)^(DFWB)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a shortening of [[Fotografie]], which is [[bor|en|photography]], a learned coinage of the astronomer J. F. W. Herschel in 1839 from [[grc|φῶς|tr=phôs|t=light]] (genitive [[m|grc|φῶς|alt=φωτός|tr=phōtós]]) and [[m|grc|γράφω|tr=gráphō|t=to write, draw]].^(DFWB)^(Kluge 2011|312)^(Duden 7 2007) The literal sense is therefore “writing with light”.^(Kluge 2011|312)^(Duden 7 2007) Kluge thinks Herschel's word may blend the earlier term for heliography with Talbot's [[m|en|photogenic drawing]].^(Kluge 2011|312)

+

+ The masculine noun meaning “camera” is a separate shortening, of [[Fotoapparat]].^(Duden Universal 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ ''Photographie'' was first used in German in 1839, when the native ''Lichtbild'' was already current.^(Kluge 2011|312)^(DFWB) The short form ''Photo'' appears in the middle of the 19th century: DFWB's first record (1859) mentions ''das Photo der Großmutter'' “grandmother's photo”, and in 1862 Bismarck wrote to his wife of some photos taken where he was.^(DFWB)^(DWB2|9, 853)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The short word remained rare until the early 20th century.^(DWB2|9, 853) The spelling with ''F'' became the usual one from the 1930s.^(DFWB) ''Foto'' forms many compounds, such as [[Passfoto]], ''Gruppenfoto'' and ''Erinnerungsfoto'', and is the first part of others, such as [[Fotoalbum]] and ''Fotomodell''.^(DFWB)^(Duden Fremdwörterbuch 2007)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1839 – ''Photographie'' is first used in German.^(Kluge 2011|312)^(DFWB)

+ * 1859 – First record of the short form ''Photo''.^(DFWB)

+ * 1862 – Bismarck writes of ''photo'' in a letter.^(DWB2|9, 853)

+ * 1930s – The spelling ''Foto'' becomes the usual one.^(DFWB)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|photograph]], a picture taken with a [[m|en|camera]]: ''ein unscharfes Foto vom Urlaub''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(masculine, colloquial, regional)'' A camera, short for [[Fotoapparat]].^(Duden Universal 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Passfoto]]

+ * [[Fotoalbum]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Fotografie]]

+ * [[Fotograf]]

+ * [[fotografieren]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}