brauchen German · revision 35049

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 765, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *brūkaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈbʁaʊ̯xən/, /ˈbʁaʊ̯xn̩/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''brauchen''' (third-person singular present braucht, past tense brauchte, past participle gebraucht, past subjunctive (prescribed) brauchte or (always used in speech, common in writing) bräuchte, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|brūchen]], [[inh|goh|brūhhan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*brūkan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*brūkaną|t=to use, enjoy]].^(Kluge 2011|147)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same verb is [[osx|brūkan|t=to enjoy]], [[ang|brūcan]], [[ofs|brūka]], [[dum|brūken]] and [[got|𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽|tr=brūkjan]], and today [[nl|gebruiken]], [[sv|bruka]] and [[en|brook]].^(Kluge 2011|147)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB2|5, 690) It was probably a strong verb in Germanic, but only Old English keeps it strong throughout; the other West Germanic languages have a strong present with weak past forms, Gothic has a weak verb, and Norse lacks it.^(Kluge 2011|147)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB2|5, 690)

+

+ Outside Germanic it is compared with [[la|fruor|t=to enjoy, have the use of]] and its relatives [[m|la|frūctus|t=enjoyment, produce]] and [[m|la|frūx|t=crops, fruit]] (see [[Frucht]] and [[frugal]]), which point to a root [[ine-pro|*bʰrūg-|t=to use, enjoy]] known only from Germanic and Italic.^(Kluge 2011|147)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|185) Kluge also adds a Sanskrit verb “to enjoy, consume”, though only with formal flaws, and Wiktionary writes the root [[ine-pro|*bʰrewHg-|t=to make use of]].^(Kluge 2011|147)^(Wiktionary) Pfeifer suggests that it is an extension of the root of [[Brosame]], with an original sense “to break off fruit to eat”, but this is speculative.^(Pfeifer 1993) The original meaning was thus “to enjoy (crops, food and drink)”.^(Kluge 2011|147)^(Duden 7 2014|185)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''brūhhan'' is first recorded in glosses about 765, and then in the Benedictine Rule (about 800), the Ludwigslied, Notker and Williram.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|61) It meant “to use, make use of, enjoy, practise”, and also “to administer”, construed with the genitive or the accusative.^(Schützeichel 2012|61)^(Köbler AHD)^(Pfeifer 1993) An 8th/9th-century gloss renders Latin ''fruitur'' “he enjoys” with ''pruchit''.^(DWB2|5, 690)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense moved from “to enjoy, have a share in” through “to use, employ” to “to need”, which became usual in the 17th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|147)^(Paul 2002) It arose in negative sentences: ''ich brauche das nicht'' first meant “I can do it without using that”, and so “I do not need it”; at the same time the object moved from the genitive into the accusative, although the genitive was still normal in the 18th century (Schiller, ''Tell'': ''wenn wir sein jetzt brauchten in der Not'').^(Kluge 2011|147)^(Paul 2002) The sense “to use” passed largely to the prefixed [[gebrauchen]].^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2014|185)^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ With ''zu'' and an infinitive, in negative or restricted sentences, ''brauchen'' became a near-modal verb meaning “to have to”, taking the place of [[dürfen]] in this use from the 19th century; the infinitive without ''zu'' is found in Rückert in 1834 and is common in colloquial speech.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The derived noun [[Brauch]] moved from “use” to “custom” in the 16th century, probably from phrases like ''rechter Brauch'' “proper use”.^(Kluge 2011|147)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) Early New High German also had the senses “to take pains” and “to have sexual intercourse with a woman”.^(FWB)^(DWB|2, 315)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 765 – Old High German ''brūhhan'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * c. 800 – ''brūhhen'' “to use” in the Old High German Benedictine Rule.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 9th century – The prefixed ''missabrūhhan'' “to misuse” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – The sense “to need” becomes usual, first in negative sentences.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|147)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 18th century – The genitive object is still common beside the accusative.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1834 – Rückert uses negated ''brauchen'' with a bare infinitive.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 19th century – ''nicht zu … brauchen'' replaces ''nicht zu … dürfen''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|need]], require: ''Wir brauchen dringend einen Arzt.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To take (a certain time) for something: ''Sie braucht eine Stunde bis zum Büro.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(formal, dated)'' To be necessary, with the genitive: ''es braucht keiner Worte''; in Switzerland and colloquially also with the accusative.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To [[m|en|use]], make use of: ''Kannst du den alten Schrank noch brauchen?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To use up, [[m|en|consume]] (an amount): ''Der Motor braucht viel Benzin.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # With ''zu'' and an infinitive, in negative or restricted sentences: to need to, have to: ''Du brauchst nicht zu warten.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[gebrauchen]]

+ * [[missbrauchen]]

+ * [[verbrauchen]]

+ * [[Brauch]]

+ * [[Brauchtum]]

+ * [[brauchbar]]

+ * [[aufbrauchen]]

+ * [[Nießbrauch]]

+ * [[gebräuchlich]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Frucht]]

+ * [[frugal]]

+ * [[en|brook]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In the past subjunctive the prescribed form is ''brauchte'', but the umlauted ''bräuchte'' is usual in speech and common in writing.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The genitive construction (''es braucht keiner Entschuldigung'') is now formal, while ''es braucht'' with the accusative is Swiss and colloquial.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}