nutzen German · revision 35191

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈnʊtsən/, [ˈnʊtsən], [ˈnʊtsn̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''nutzen''' (third-person singular present nutzt, past tense nutzte, past participle genutzt, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|nutzen]] (also [[m|gmh|nützen]]), [[inh|goh|nuzzōn|t=to enjoy, spend]], [[inh|gem-pro|*nutōną|t=to make use of]].^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993) Pfeifer derives the Old High German verb from the noun [[m|goh|nuzza|t=use, cultivation]], and traces the umlauted form to [[m|goh|ginuzzen|t=to make use of]], recorded in the 9th century, in which the umlaut appears only later.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|598) Kluge treats the verb as derived from the noun [[Nutzen]].^(Kluge 2011|662)

+

+ The whole group stands in ablaut with the strong verb [[gem-pro|*neutaną]] continued in [[genießen]] and [[got|𐌽𐌹𐌿𐍄𐌰𐌽|tr=niutan|t=to reach, obtain]].^(Kluge 2011|662)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|598) Kroonen starts from the adjective [[m|gem-pro|*nuti-|t=useful]], seen in [[got|𐌿𐌽𐌽𐌿𐍄𐍃|tr=unnuts|t=useless]], [[ang|nyt]] and [[osx|nutti]]: in West Germanic it was remodelled as a ja-stem, from which [[m|ang|nyttian]] and the umlauted verb of Old High German were formed.^(Kroonen 2013) The Grimms' dictionary compares [[m|ang|nytjan]] and [[non|nytja]], which, like the Old High German verbs, were only transitive.^(DWB|13, 1029) Wiktionary takes the Germanic root back to [[ine-pro|*newd-|t=to acquire, make use of]], with [[lt|nauda|t=benefit]] as a cognate.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''nuzzōn'' is found in Otfrid and Notker in the senses “to enjoy” and “to spend (time)”.^(Schützeichel 2012|243)^(Pfeifer 1993) In Middle High German ''nutzen'' and ''nützen'' meant “to use, make use of”, “to take as food, eat or drink” and “to be of use”;^(Lexer 1872|2, 124)^(Köbler MHD) Köbler's earliest source is Lamprecht's ''Alexander'' (1150–1170).^(Lexer 1872|2, 124)^(Köbler MHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense “to take as food or medicine” lived on into Early New High German, where it was also used of receiving the Host,^(FWB) but Adelung already marks it as obsolete.^(Adelung 1793|3, 546) The intransitive “to be of use” was by then mostly negative: Adelung notes that people said a thing ''nutzt nichts'' rather than that it ''nutzt''.^(Adelung 1793|3, 546)

+

+ Paul explains the double form by region: ''nutzen'' was originally Upper German and ''nützen'' Central German.^(Paul 2002) The Grimms quote Frisch to the same effect and record that Adelung found transitive ''nutzen'' commoner, while Campe claimed that good writers kept transitive ''nützen'' apart from intransitive ''nutzen''; no fixed rule ever took hold, and both forms are still used either way.^(DWB|13, 1029)^(Paul 2002) The same doublets appear in the prefixed verbs ''abnutzen'' (15th century) and ''ausnutzen'' (end of the 15th century), in which the umlauted form is the rarer one.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 9th century – Old High German ''nuzzōn'' and ''ginuzzen'' are recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1150–1170 – Middle High German ''nützen'' appears in Lamprecht's ''Alexander''.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 15th century – ''abnutzen'' “to wear out by use” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * End of the 15th century – ''ausnutzen'' “to take advantage of” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – Adelung finds transitive ''nutzen'' commoner than ''nützen''.^(DWB|13, 1029)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To be of [[m|en|use]], to help or bring an advantage; often negated or in questions: ''Der Schirm hat bei dem Sturm wenig genützt.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To use profitably, to [[m|en|exploit]] a resource: ''die Windkraft zur Stromerzeugung nutzen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To make use of an opportunity, time or offer, to take [[m|en|advantage]] of it: ''Sie nutzte die Pause, um zu lesen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[abnutzen]]

+ * [[ausnutzen]]

+ * [[benutzen]]

+ * [[Benutzer]]

+ * [[Nutzer]]

+ * [[Nutzung]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Nützlichkeit]]

+ * [[Nutzen]]

+ * [[nütze]]

+ * [[nützlich]]

+ * [[genießen]]

+ * [[Nichtsnutz]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Today ''nutzen'' is the usual form in the north and ''nützen'' in the south.^(Duden GWDS 1999) Wiktionary describes this as a hypercorrection: the verb was at first chiefly Upper and East Central German, and Low German and West Central German used other verbs, [[brauchen]] for the transitive and ''batten'' for the intransitive sense.^(Wiktionary) ''Es nützt alles nichts'' (colloquial) means that one can put something off no longer.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}