öffnen German · revision 35108

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈœfnən/, [ˈʔœf.nən]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''öffnen''' (third-person singular present öffnet, past tense öffnete, past participle geöffnet, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|offenen]], [[inh|goh|offanōn]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*opanōn]], [[inh|gem-pro|*upanōną|t=to open]], a verb formed from the adjective [[offen]].^(Kluge 2011|666)^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993) Old Saxon had [[m|osx|opanōn]] and Middle Low German [[m|gml|openen]].^(DWB|13, 1185) Compare [[nl|openen]] and [[en|open]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The adjective, [[m|goh|offan]] from [[m|gem-pro|*upanaz]], is formed with an n-suffix and ablaut from the same base as [[auf]], and [[oben]] and [[ober]] are more distant relatives.^(Kluge 2011|666) Pfeifer suggests an original sense “drawn or lifted up”, hence “open”.^(Pfeifer 1993) Köbler traces the base to [[ine-pro|*upo|t=under, up over]].^(Köbler AHD)

+

+ Umlauted forms appear in the 14th century, but forms without umlaut were still frequent in the 16th and 17th centuries and survive in Switzerland as [[gsw|offnen]].^(DWB|13, 1185)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''offanōn'' is recorded from the 8th century, in the Isidor translation, Tatian, Otfrid, Notker and Williram, meaning “to reveal, make known, disclose, explain, betray”, and reflexively “to shine, reveal oneself”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Schützeichel 2012|244) Middle High German ''offen(en)'' meant “to open, make manifest, show, set out, publish”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The physical sense “to open what is closed” became the main one, with the eyes as an early object both literally and figuratively, as in Luther's Luke 24:31, ''da worden ire augen geöffnet''.^(DWB|13, 1185) The word is not at home in the Upper German dialects, which say ''aufmachen'' or ''auftun'' instead.^(DWB|13, 1185) Adelung already found ''öffnen'' more elevated than these verbs and used it for opening letters, graves and veins, and for opening trenches in a siege.^(Adelung 1793|3, 587) The reflexive ''sich öffnen'' is used of a view or prospect that opens up, as in Goethe.^(DWB|13, 1185) The noun ''Öffnung'' goes back to Old High German ''offanunga'' “revelation, enlightenment”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''offanōn'' “to reveal” and ''offanunga'' are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 14th century – Umlauted ''öffenen'' and ''öffen'' appear.^(DWB|13, 1185)

+ * 16th–17th century – ''offnen'' is still frequent beside ''öffnen''.^(DWB|13, 1185)

+ * 1793 – Adelung calls ''öffnen'' more elevated than ''aufmachen''.^(Adelung 1793|3, 587)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|open]] something closed: ''Sie öffnete die Flasche.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To open the door to someone who wants to come in: ''Der Nachbar öffnete uns im Bademantel.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of a shop or office, to open for business: ''Die Bäckerei öffnet um sechs Uhr.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(computing)'' To open a file.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(reflexive)'' To open, to come open: ''Das Tor öffnete sich langsam.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(reflexive)'' Of a flower or bud, to [[m|en|unfold]]: ''Im Mai öffnen sich die Knospen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(reflexive)'' To open up to someone or something, to [[m|en|confide]] in someone.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(reflexive)'' Of a view or possibility, to present itself.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Öffnung]]

+ * [[eröffnen]]

+ * [[Eröffnung]]

+ * [[Dosenöffner]]

+ * [[Flaschenöffner]]

+ * [[Türöffner]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[offen]]

+ * [[öffentlich]]

+ * [[offenbar]]

+ * [[auf]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}