zuletzt German · revision 35180

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=9th century, Old High German}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /t͡suˈlɛt͡st/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''zuletzt'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a fusion [[af|de|zu|letzt]] of the preposition with the superlative of an old adjective meaning “slow”.^(DWB|32, 520)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) It continues [[goh|zi leʒʒist]], recorded in the 9th century, and [[m|goh|zi laʒʒōst]], recorded in the 10th, and [[gmh|ze lezist]] or [[m|gmh|ze leste]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|32, 520) The superlative belongs to [[goh|laz|t=slow, sluggish, tired]], the source of [[lässig]], and the same phrase is [[ofs|tolesta]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|32, 520)

+

+ The modern form with final /t/ is Early New High German.^(Paul 2002) Paul explains it by the influence of the noun [[Letze|t=farewell, end]], still current in the 18th century and also written with a secondary ⟨t⟩, as in [[zu guter Letzt]].^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Pfeifer dates the Old High German phrase to the 9th century, and the Middle High German adverb is recorded in the Millstatt Psalter, before 1190.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler MHD) It meant “in the end, finally”, as it still does.^(Köbler MHD)^(DWB|32, 520)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In New High German the uninflected form prevailed from the start, beside regional ''ze lest'' and ''zletst''.^(DWB|32, 520) Inflected variants were also used: ''zuletzten'' in the 15th and 16th centuries (Zwingli, Burkard Waldis) and ''zuletzte'' in 17th-century verse (Paul Fleming, Logau).^(DWB|32, 520) The phrases ''auf die Letzt'' and ''zur Letze'', with the same meaning, hardly survived the 16th century; only ''zu guter Letzt'' remains, no longer understood as “as a farewell” but as an emphatic “finally”.^(DWB|32, 520)

+

+ Goethe's Faust speaks of how far we have ''zuletzt so herrlich weit gebracht'' (“brought it so splendidly far in the end”).^(Paul 2002) Negated, ''nicht zuletzt'' is a litotes meaning “especially”, comparable to English ''last but not least''.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) In colloquial use it also means “the last time”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 9th century – Old High German ''zi leʒʒist'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 10th century – The variant ''zi laʒʒōst'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Before 1190 – Middle High German ''zuolezzist'' appears in the Millstatt Psalter.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 15th–16th centuries – An inflected variant ''zuletzten'' is used.^(DWB|32, 520)

+ * 17th century – The inflected ''zuletzte'' appears in verse and in prose.^(DWB|32, 520)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # In the last place, after everything else: ''Die Fenster putze ich zuletzt''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''Nicht zuletzt'' means “not least, especially”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # As the last one: ''Sie ist wie immer zuletzt angekommen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' The last time: ''Wann hast du deine Tante zuletzt besucht?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|finally|alt=Finally]], in the end: ''Wir haben zuletzt doch ein Taxi genommen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|recently|alt=Recently]], lately.^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[letzte]]

+ * [[zuerst]]

+ * [[lässig]]

+ * [[Letzt]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}