wirken German · revision 35127

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈvɪrkən/, [ˈvɪʁ.kŋ̍], [ˈvɪɐ̯-]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''wirken''' (third-person singular present wirkt, past tense wirkte, past participle gewirkt, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old High German [[m|goh|wurken]] was mainly Upper German and [[m|goh|wirken]] Franconian.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|30, 551) The form ''würken'' was taken up as the seemingly more refined one by some Central and North German writers, Leibniz and J. E. Schlegel among them, until late in the 18th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|30, 551) By the end of that century ''wirken'' had prevailed in the Upper German literary language as well.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|wirken]], [[inh|goh|wirken]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*wirkijan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*wirkijaną|t=to make, produce]].^(Wiktionary)^(Kluge 2011|991) Middle High German also had [[m|gmh|würken]], from [[goh|wurken]], and Kluge sees in the pair two ablaut grades of one verb: the zero grade, [[gem-pro|*wurkijaną|t=to work]], is the better attested, in [[got|𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽|tr=waurkjan]], [[non|yrkja]], [[ang|wyrcan]] and [[ofs|werka]], while the full grade is found in [[osx|wirkian]] and [[m|ofs|wirka]].^(Kluge 2011|991)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) Pfeifer, Duden and Wahrig take the full-grade verb to be a later formation from the noun [[Werk]], which then merged with the older verb.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|936)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)^(DWB|30, 551) Kluge notes that the dental preterite shows an unusual o-grade, which suggests that the verb was originally strong and, like [[bringen]], acquired a dental preterite later.^(Kluge 2011|991)

+

+ Both forms go back to [[ine-pro|*werǵ-|t=to work, do]], the root of that noun.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|991)^(Köbler AHD) Outside Germanic the verb is found in [[ae|vərəziieiti|t=works]], [[grc|ῥέζω|tr=rhézō|t=I do]] and [[sga|do-áirci|t=makes, produces]];^(Kluge 2011|991) Paul also compares [[m|grc|ἔργον|tr=érgon|t=work]].^(Paul 2002) The Grimms' dictionary mentions an attempt to give the sense “to weave” a separate root meaning “to twist”, but finds it unnecessary.^(DWB|30, 551) [[da|virke]] and [[sv|virka]] were borrowed from German.^(DWB|30, 551)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''wirken'' is first recorded in the Benedictine Rule of the last quarter of the 8th century, and ''wurken'' in glosses of the end of the 8th century.^(Köbler AHD) Pfeifer dates ''wurken'' to about 800 and the compound ''firwurken'' to the 8th century.^(Pfeifer 1993) Schützeichel gives the Old High German senses “to do, accomplish, work, make, carry out, create”, and also “to serve”, in the Tatian, Otfrid, Notker and Williram.^(Schützeichel 2012|393)^(Schützeichel 2012|402)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the early Germanic languages the verb generally meant “to make, produce”, and the sense survives in elevated language.^(Kluge 2011|991) In Middle High German it could take any product as its object, a house, a picture or a tool,^(Paul 2002) but from late Middle High German it narrowed to the making of textiles by weaving, embroidering or knitting,^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) hence [[Wirkwaren]] and the trade name ''Strumpfwirker''.^(Paul 2002) Adelung records that the baker ''wirkt'' the dough when he kneads it for the last time.^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ Without an object it meant “to be active, work”, as in Luther's ''ich muß wirken, solange es Tag ist'' (John 9:4),^(Paul 2002) and then “to exert influence, take effect”, of inanimate things too: Adelung's examples are a medicine and wine acting on the body.^(Adelung 1793)^(Paul 2002) The derivative [[wirklich]] was first used by the mystics, Meister Eckhart among them, in the early 14th century, meaning “active”; since the 15th century it has meant “real” as opposed to imagined.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020|936) [[verwirklichen]] followed in the second half of the 18th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|936)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 8th century – Old High German ''wirken'' appears in the Benedictine Rule.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * c. 800 – Old High German ''wurken'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Late Middle High German – The sense “to make by weaving, embroidering or knitting” appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ * Early 14th century – ''wirklich'' “active” is used by Meister Eckhart.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 16th century – ''wirksam'' “having an effect” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Late 18th century – ''wirken'' prevails over ''würken'' in the Upper German literary language.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Second half of the 18th century – ''verwirklichen'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|936)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To be active in a profession or field, with some influence: ''Sie wirkte zehn Jahre als Ärztin in Afrika.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(elevated)'' To bring about, [[m|en|accomplish]]: ''Wunder wirken''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To have an [[m|en|effect]], to work: ''Die Tablette wirkt erst nach einer Stunde.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To make an impression, to [[m|en|seem]]: ''Er wirkte müde und nervös.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(textiles)'' To make knitted fabric or weave a [[m|en|tapestry]] with patterns.^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(baking)'' To [[m|en|knead]] dough.^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[wirklich]]

+ * [[Wirklichkeit]]

+ * [[verwirklichen]]

+ * [[wirksam]]

+ * [[Wirkung]]

+ * [[bewirken]]

+ * [[verwirken]]

+ * [[Gewirk]]

+ * [[auswirken]]

+ * [[einwirken]]

+ * [[mitwirken]]

+ * [[entgegenwirken]]

+ * [[Wirkstoff]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Werk]]

+ * [[werken]]

+ * [[en|work]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}