fehlen German · revision 35079

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1185, Hartmann von Aue, Erec|origins=la fallō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈfeːlən/, [ˈfeːln̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''fehlen''' (third-person singular present fehlt, past tense fehlte, past participle gefehlt, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|vælen]], [[bor|fro|faillir|t=to miss, err]].^(Kluge 2011|284)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|261) Kluge dates the borrowing to the 13th century, but the Grimms' revised dictionary has a record from about 1185.^(Kluge 2011|284)^(DWB2|9, 249) The Old French verb goes back through early Romance to [[la|fallō|t=to deceive]].^(Kluge 2011|284)^(Pfeifer 1993) The sense “to be absent, missing” is found only in German, but it rests on secondary senses of the French verb, “to escape someone, be lacking, be needed”, as in the impersonal [[fr|il faut|t=it is necessary]].^(Kluge 2011|284)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)

+

+ A variant [[m|gmh|veilen]] lived on in Early New High German, chiefly in Central German, probably supported by [[gml|fēilen]], which also came from French.^(Pfeifer 1993) The same Romance verb was borrowed as [[nl|falen]], [[en|fail]], [[sv|fela]] and [[no|feile]].^(Kluge 2011|284)^(Duden 7 2020|261) The noun [[Fehl]] was taken separately from Old French [[m|fro|faille|t=failure, error]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|261) The Grimms doubted the Romance origin and looked for a native source, but the later dictionaries accept the borrowing.^(DWB|3, 1422)^(Wiktionary DE)^(DWB2|9, 249)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The earliest record is in Hartmann von Aue's ''Erec'' (about 1185), where each of two knights breaks twelve lances ''âne vælen'' “without missing”.^(DWB2|9, 249)^(Köbler MHD) Ulrich von Lichtenstein (1255) still uses it of a lance thrust that misses its target.^(DWB2|9, 249)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The verb came in as a term of the [[m|en|tournament]], for missing the opponent with the lance; already in Middle High German it also meant “to be mistaken”, “to fail” and “to be lacking”, as in French.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|261) From the lance it passed to shooting and then to missing any aim, also in a moral sense: in Early New High German, and in Luther, ''fehlen'' is “to sin, go wrong”.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020|261) The missed target was at first in the genitive and was later joined with ''an''; from this came the impersonal ''es fehlt (mir) an …'' “there is a lack of …”, the source of the modern main sense.^(Duden 7 2020|261)^(Paul 2002) The transitive use “to miss” (Schiller: ''triff und fehle nicht das Ziel'') has given way to [[verfehlen]].^(Paul 2002)

+

+ [[Fehler]] appears around 1500, first meaning “a missed shot”, and since the 18th century “mistake” and “defect”.^(Duden 7 2020|261) The noun of the prefixed verb, [[Verfehlung]], dates from the 17th century.^(Pfeifer 1993) Kashubian ''felowac'' was borrowed from the German verb.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1185 – Hartmann von Aue uses ''âne vælen'' “without missing” in the ''Erec''.^(DWB2|9, 249)

+ * 1255 – Ulrich von Lichtenstein uses the verb of a missed lance thrust.^(DWB2|9, 249)

+ * c. 1500 – ''Fehler'' appears, first meaning “a missed shot”.^(Duden 7 2020|261)

+ * 1533 – An Austrian legal record uses ''feil oder treff'' of a shot.^(DWB2|9, 249)

+ * 16th century – Luther uses the verb for “to sin”.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 17th century – ''Verfehlung'' “offence” is formed.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1822 – Goethe still writes of Achilles that he throws the lance ''und fehlt''.^(DWB2|9, 249)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # Not to exist, not to be there: ''in dem Bericht fehlen alle Zahlen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # With a dative, to be [[m|en|lacking]] to someone: ''mir fehlt die Zeit dafür'' “I don't have the time for it”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of a person, to be [[m|en|absent]] where one ought to be: ''er hat drei Tage in der Schule gefehlt''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To be [[m|en|missed]] by someone: ''ihr fehlt uns sehr'' “we miss you very much”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To be missing, gone or lost: ''an dem Mantel fehlt ein Knopf''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To be still needed for something: ''bis zum Ziel fehlen noch zehn Kilometer''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Impersonal, with ''an'', to be in short supply: ''es fehlt an Lehrern'' “there is a shortage of teachers”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(literary)'' To [[m|en|err]], to do wrong.^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''(dated)'' To miss a target.^(Wiktionary)^(DWB2|9, 249)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[verfehlen]]

+ * [[Verfehlung]]

+ * [[fehlbar]]

+ * [[unfehlbar]]

+ * [[Fehler]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Fehl]]

+ * [[Fehltritt]]

+ * [[falsch]]

+ * [[en|fail]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Was fehlt dir?'' asks what is wrong with someone, especially whether someone is ill.^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Das hat (mir) gerade noch gefehlt!'' is an ironic complaint about something that comes at the worst moment, and ''weit gefehlt!'' “far from it!” rejects a wrong guess.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}