schließen German · revision 35188

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=early 9th century, Old High German gloss|origins=gem-pro *sleutaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * [ˈʃliːsn̩]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Germany: [ˈʃliːsən]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Austria, Southern-Germany, Switzerland: [ˈʃliːsɛn]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''schließen''' (class 2 strong, third-person singular present schließt, past tense schloss, past participle geschlossen, past subjunctive schlösse, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ The older present forms ''du schleußt'', ''sie schleußt'' and the imperative ''schleuß'' were used in literature until the 19th century.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|slieʒen]], [[inh|goh|sliozan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*sleutan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*sleutaną|t=to bolt, lock]].^(Kluge 2011|811)^(Wiktionary)^(EWA) The verb is limited to German, Dutch and Frisian: the same word is [[osx|-slūtan]], [[gml|slūten]], [[dum|sluten]], [[nl|sluiten]] and [[ofs|slūta]], which point to a variant [[m|gem-pro|*slūtaną]], and it is missing in North and East Germanic.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|742)^(EWA) Wiktionary also compares [[en|slot]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ Kluge compares, without the initial /s/, [[la|claudō|t=to close]], which belongs with [[m|la|clāvis|t=key, bolt]], [[sga|cló|t=nail]] and [[grc|κλείς|tr=kleís|t=bar, hook, key]], and, with a final velar, [[cu|ключити|tr=ključiti|t=to close]] beside [[m|cu|ключь|tr=ključĭ|t=key]]: to close would then be “to put a bolt across”.^(Kluge 2011|811) Pfeifer takes the Germanic stem from [[ine-pro|*skleud-]], with the initial cluster simplified, and puts it under a root [[ine-pro|*klēu-]] “hook, peg”, the peg being the oldest means of shutting something.^(Pfeifer 1993) Wahrig calls the outside connections not certain,^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) and according to Wiktionary, Kroonen regards the word as purely Germanic and leaves its origin open.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The simple verb is first found in a Bavarian gloss of the first third of the 9th century, where ''sliozan'' renders Latin ''dēvallāre'' “to surround with a rampart”.^(EWA|8, 446)^(Köbler AHD) Pfeifer cites ''intsliozan'' “to unlock, open” from the 8th century.^(Pfeifer 1993) Middle High German ''slieʒen'' meant “to close, lock”, “to enclose, contain” and “to join, fasten together”.^(Lexer 1872|2, 976)^(EWA)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 16th century the verb took on the sense “to infer, conclude logically”, that is, to attach a thought to what goes before.^(Duden 7 2020|742)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) Early New High German also used it for “to prove” and “to assert definitively”.^(EWA) From closing a door or a shop came the use of ''geschlossen'' for a shop, theatre or museum that is not open, and in computing ''schließen'' has meant “to close a program or file” since the 1980s.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ''Schließer'' “doorkeeper, jailer” dates from the 17th century, and the adverb ''schließlich'' “finally” from the 16th.^(Pfeifer 1993) Polish took ''szlusować'' “to join someone or something” from the verb in 1833.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''intsliozan'' “to unlock, open”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * First third of the 9th century – ''sliozan'' in a Bavarian gloss.^(EWA|8, 446)

+ * 16th century – The sense “to infer, conclude”.^(Duden 7 2020|742)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)

+ * 16th century – ''schließlich'' “in the end” appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – ''Schließer'' “doorkeeper”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1833 – Polish ''szlusować'' is recorded.^(LWP)

+ * 1985 – The computing sense “to close a program” is recorded.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|close]], [[m|en|shut]] a door, lid, box, the eyes or the hand: ''Schließ bitte das Fenster, es zieht.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(reflexive)'' To close, come together: ''Die Tür schloss sich hinter ihr.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To close in a certain way: ''Der Deckel schließt nicht mehr dicht.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To [[m|en|lock]], to turn a key in a lock: ''Der Schlüssel schließt schwer.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To lock someone or something in: ''das Geld in den Tresor schließen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To close a shop or institution for a time, or to shut it down for good: ''Die Bäckerei schließt um sechs.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # To fill a gap or opening, to complete a circuit: ''eine Lücke schließen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To end a meeting, speech or letter, or to come to an end: ''Die Vorsitzende schloss die Sitzung kurz nach zehn.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To enter into a contract, marriage, peace or friendship: ''einen Vertrag schließen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|infer]], conclude: ''Aus seinem Schweigen schloss sie, dass er gekränkt war.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[abschließen]]

+ * [[anschließen]]

+ * [[aufschließen]]

+ * [[ausschließen]]

+ * [[beschließen]]

+ * [[einschließen]]

+ * [[entschließen]]

+ * [[erschließen]]

+ * [[verschließen]]

+ * [[zuschließen]]

+ * [[Schluss]]

+ * [[Schließer]]

+ * [[Schließung]]

+ * [[schließlich]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Schloss]]

+ * [[Schlüssel]]

+ * [[Schlosser]]

+ * [[Klausur]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Die Augen schließen'' can mean “to die”, and ''die Augen vor etwas schließen'' is to refuse to see something.^(Paul 2002) ''Etwas in sich schließen'' is to contain or imply it.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}