einzeln German · revision 35158

20 Oct 2026, 18:01 by bogdan “de75g b02: German de10k entries” current version
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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=10th century|origins=ine-pro *óynos}}
+ 
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * [ˈaɪ̯nt͡səln]^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Forms==
+ '''einzeln''' (strong nominative masculine singular einzelner, not comparable)^(Wiktionary)
+ The older form without ''-n'', ''einzel'', was still frequent in Lessing, while ''einzeln'' already prevailed in the 18th century.^(Paul 2002) The Grimms' revised dictionary dates the dominance of the ''n''-form to about 1750; forms without ''-n'' after 1850 are only dialectal or poetic.^(DWB2|7, 1150)
+ 
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is [[inh|gmh|einzel]], a further formation from [[m|gmh|einez|t=single]], [[goh|einaz|t=single]], which was formed from the numeral [[ein]] with a Germanic suffix in /t/.^(Kluge 2011|237)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|246) The EWA reconstructs the Old High German adjective [[m|goh|einezzi]] as a stem *ainatja-, and compares the adverbs formed with a dental in [[lt|vienàt|t=only]].^(EWA|2, 996) Kluge suspects that a reading as “one number” also influenced the word, and the Grimms' revised dictionary records early modern spellings such as ⟨einzal⟩ and ⟨einzehle⟩ that rest on this false link with [[Zahl]].^(Kluge 2011|237)^(DWB2|7, 1150)
+ 
+ The final ⟨n⟩ is explained in more than one way.^(Kluge 2011|237)^(DWB2|7, 1150) Kluge and Pfeifer derive it from the adverb, an old dative plural form ([[gmh|ēnzelen]] in Central German), supported by the inflected cases of the adjective, as in [[albern]].^(Kluge 2011|237)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) Jacob Grimm thought of a fuller medieval form ending in ⟨-în⟩,^(DWB|3, 351) and the revised dictionary points to early attributive forms with ⟨n⟩ (“das enzilne volk”, 1421) that suggest the suffixes ⟨-il-⟩ and ⟨-ilîn⟩ existed side by side.^(DWB2|7, 1150) Compounds keep the form without ⟨n⟩: [[Einzelheit]], [[Einzelfall]], and the noun [[Einzel]] in tennis.^(Kluge 2011|237)^(Duden 7 2014|246)
+ 
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ Kluge dates the word to the 10th century.^(Kluge 2011|237) Old High German ''einezzi'' is found only in Notker, meaning “single, one after another”, as in ''einzên mâlen'' “again and again”.^(EWA|2, 996) Pfeifer considers that a misspelt adverb ''einzelēn'' may already be Old High German, of the 9th or 10th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Middle High German ''einzel'' meant “single, individual”, and its dative ''ênzelen'' was used as an adverb “one by one”.^(Lexer 1872|1, 532) Paul notes that ''einzel'' also had the senses “simple” and “only”, and Adelung still records the strict sense “existing only once” (as ''einzig'') as Upper German.^(Paul 2002)^(Adelung 1793|1, 1763) Luther used both ''einzel'' and the uninflected ''einzelen''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|3, 351)
+ 
+ Compounds with ''Einzel-'' became numerous: Pfeifer credits Campe with coining ''Einzelwesen'' in 1791 as a German word for Latin ''individuum'', while Paul dates Campe's coinage to 1794 and says Jean Paul made it current.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) ''Einzelgänger'' was first a hunters' word for an old boar living apart from the herd, then a loner.^(Paul 2002)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 10th century – First record of the word.^(Kluge 2011|237)
+ * c. 1000 – Notker uses ''einezzi'' “single, successive”.^(EWA|2, 996)
+ * 1421 – Johannes Rothe writes ''das enzilne volk''.^(DWB2|7, 1150)
+ * 16th century – Luther uses ''einzelen'' beside ''einzel''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|3, 351)
+ * 1691 – Stieler explains ''einzel'' as perhaps a compound of ''ein'' and ''Zahl''.^(DWB2|7, 1150)
+ * c. 1750 – The form ''einzeln'' becomes dominant.^(DWB2|7, 1150)
+ * 1791 – Campe coins ''Einzelwesen'' for “individual”.^(Pfeifer 1993)
+ 
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Adjective===
+ # [[m|en|single|alt=Single]], [[m|en|separate]], on its own, not together with others; as a noun ''der/die Einzelne'' “the [[m|en|individual]]”, and ''im Einzelnen'' “in detail”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)
+ # Some, a few, [[m|en|occasional]]: ''einzelne Gewitter'' “scattered thunderstorms”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ===Adverb===
+ # [[m|en|singly|alt=Singly]], [[m|en|individually]], one by one.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999)
+ 
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[Einzel]]
+ * [[Einzelheit]]
+ * [[vereinzeln]]
+ * [[vereinzelt]]
+ * [[Einzelwesen]]
+ * [[Einzelgänger]]
+ * [[Einzelhandel]]
+ 
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[einzig]]
+ * [[ein]]
+ 
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}