Wort German · revision 35057

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /vɔrt/, [vɔʁt], [ʋ-]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Wort''' ''n'' (genitive Wortes or Worts, plural Wörter or Worte, diminutive Wörtchen n or Wörtlein n)^(Wiktionary)

+ As an old neuter it had a plural without ending, Old High German ''thiu wort''.^(Pfeifer 1993) Middle German had the plural ''worte'' early on, after the masculine nouns, and ''worter'' appears in the 12th century, ''wörter'' about 1300.^(Pfeifer 1993) From the 16th century the plurals were used for different senses, a distinction Schottel required in the 17th century: ''Wörter'' for single words, ''Worte'' for connected speech.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|wort]], [[inh|goh|wort]], [[inh|gem-pro|*wurdą|t=word]].^(Kluge 2011|995)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) The same word is [[got|𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳|tr=waurd]], [[non|orð]], [[ang|word]], [[ofs|word]] and [[osx|word]], and [[en|word]], [[nl|woord]] and [[sv|ord]].^(Kluge 2011|995)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ The Germanic word goes back to [[ine-pro|*werdʰo-|t=word]], also seen in [[prg|wirds|t=word]], and with another ablaut grade in [[la|verbum]] and [[lt|vardas|alt=var̃das|t=name]].^(Kluge 2011|995)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Orel 2003) This is an extension of the root [[ine-pro|*wer-|t=to say, speak solemnly]], found with other extensions in [[grc|εἴρω|tr=eírō|t=I say]] and [[hit|weriya-|t=to call, name]].^(Kluge 2011|995)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|939) Kroonen notes that if the Hittite verb belongs here, the root began with a laryngeal, and reconstructs [[ine-pro|*(h₂)urdʰ-o-]].^(Kroonen 2013) The Latin /b/ continues the Indo-European aspirate /dʰ/.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''wort'' is recorded from the 8th century, in glosses of about 765 and in the ''Hildebrandslied'', and is common in the Isidor, Tatian, Otfrid and Notker.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|399) Besides “word” it meant “speech, utterance, report”, “command” and “call”.^(Schützeichel 2012|399)^(Köbler AHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word is used both for the smallest unit of language and for an utterance, a saying or a text.^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|30, 1467) The sense “promise” is found in phrases such as ''sein Wort geben'', ''sein Wort halten'' and ''jemanden beim Wort nehmen''.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) In Christian use ''Gottes Wort'' is Scripture, and the word renders Greek ''lógos'' for the second person of the Trinity, as in Luther's ''vnd das Wort ward Fleisch'' (John 1:14).^(Paul 2002) In meetings it came to mean the right to speak: ''das Wort haben'', ''jemandem das Wort erteilen'', ''ums Wort bitten''.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) Schiller uses it for a password.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Many derivatives and compounds are dated: ''Wortführer'' “spokesman” in the 16th century, ''Wörterbuch'' in the first half of the 17th century, ''Wortwechsel'' in the 17th, ''Wortschatz'' at the end of the 18th, and ''wortwörtlich'' in the 19th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|939) ''Wörtlich'' meant “expressed in words” in Early New High German and “literal” from the 17th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

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

+ * 12th century – The plural ''worter'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * c. 1300 – The plural ''wörter'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – ''Wortführer'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – Schottel requires ''Wörter'' for single words and ''Worte'' for connected speech;^(Pfeifer 1993) ''Wörterbuch'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * End of the 18th century – ''Wortschatz'' appears in the sense “vocabulary”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # (plural ''Wörter'') A [[m|en|word]], the smallest independent unit of [[m|en|language]] with a sound and a meaning: ''Dieses Wort kenne ich nicht.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # (plural ''Worte'') A word considered for its content, a [[m|en|term]] or expression: ''Freundschaft ist ein großes Wort.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # (plural ''Worte'') An [[m|en|utterance]], something said, a remark: ''ein Wort der Entschuldigung''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # (no plural) The right or opportunity to speak, the [[m|en|floor]]: ''Jetzt hat Frau Becker das Wort.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # (no plural) A [[m|en|promise]], one's word of honour: ''Ich gebe dir mein Wort.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(Christianity)'' The Word of God, [[m|en|Scripture]], and the Word as a name of Christ.^(Wiktionary)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Antwort]]

+ * [[wörtlich]]

+ * [[wortlos]]

+ * [[Wörterbuch]]

+ * [[Wortschatz]]

+ * [[Wortführer]]

+ * [[Wortwechsel]]

+ * [[wortwörtlich]]

+ * [[Sprichwort]]

+ * [[Fremdwort]]

+ * [[Lehnwort]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Verb]]

+ * [[Rhetorik]]

+ * [[en|word]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The two plurals are distinguished: ''Wörter'' for words as separate units (''ein Wörterbuch mit 50 000 Wörtern''), ''Worte'' for words in context, an utterance (''Worte der Ermutigung'').^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Pfeifer 1993) Fixed phrases include ''ein Mann, ein Wort'' (a man keeps his word), ''mit anderen Worten'' “in other words” and ''ein gutes Wort für jemanden einlegen'' “to put in a good word for someone”.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}