sieben German · revision 35209

+ {{homograph|1|seven}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses and Isidor|origins=ine-pro *septḿ̥}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈziːbən/, [ˈziːbn̩], /ˈsiːbɛn/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Germany: [ˈziːbm̩]^(Wiktionary)

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

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sieben''' (cardinal numeral, usually uninflected)^(Wiktionary)^(Adelung 1793)

+ Adelung notes that, unlike the other numerals, it does not take a dative ''-en'' when used without a noun (''mit sieben'').^(Adelung 1793) In the derivatives ''sieb-'' has replaced ''sieben-'': [[siebte]], [[siebzehn]], [[siebzig]].^(Duden 7 2020|781)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|siben]], [[inh|goh|sibun]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*sebun]], [[inh|gem-pro|*sebun|t=seven]].^(Kluge 2011|847)^(Wiktionary)^(EWA|7, 1170) The same word is [[got|𐍃𐌹𐌱𐌿𐌽|tr=sibun]], [[non|sjau]], [[ang|seofon]], [[ofs|sigun]] and [[osx|sibun]], and it lives on in [[nl|zeven]], [[en|seven]] and [[sv|sju]].^(Kluge 2011|847)^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ It continues [[ine-pro|*septḿ̥|t=seven]], also found in [[sa|सप्तन्|tr=saptá|alt=सप्त]], [[grc|ἑπτά|tr=heptá]], [[la|septem]], [[sga|secht]], [[cy|saith]], [[lt|septyni|alt=septynì]] and [[cu|седмь|tr=sedmĭ]]; its further origin is unknown.^(Kluge 2011|847)^(DWB|16, 780) The Germanic form is not a regular continuation, since it lacks the first /t/.^(Kluge 2011|847)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) Kroonen thinks the dental was lost by dissimilation in the ordinal, which also explains the final /n/, and finds this more likely than the view that the Germanic word is a loan from a Semitic-like language (compare [[akk|sebū]]).^(Kroonen 2013) Wiktionary reconstructs an earlier [[m|gem-pro|*sebunt]], whose /t/ it explains by the model of the words for “nine” and “ten” or of the ordinal.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''sibun'' is recorded from the end of the 8th century, in glosses and in Isidor, then in the Tatian, Otfrid and Notker.^(EWA|7, 1170)^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|279) Besides the plain number the glosses render Latin ''septies'' as ''sibun stuntōn'' “seven times”.^(EWA|7, 1170)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Seven was a magic and sacred number, and Paul traces many phrases to the Bible and to folk tales: ''ein Buch mit sieben Siegeln'', ''sieben auf einen Streich'', the Grimms' ''Die sieben Raben'' and ''Die sieben Schwaben''.^(Paul 2002) After Latin ''septem artes liberales'' the Middle Ages spoke of the seven liberal arts, and Middle High German already had ''die sieben Sinne''.^(Paul 2002) [[Siebensachen]] “one's belongings” is recorded from 1624, and [[Siebenmeilenstiefel]] (1770) is a loan translation of French ''bottes de sept lieues''.^(Paul 2002) [[Siebenschläfer]] is the 27th of June, after a medieval legend, and since the 18th century also the edible dormouse.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ''Die böse Sieben'' first referred to a card game, Karnöffel, in which the seven was the highest card and bore a picture of the devil, later of an old woman; hence a quarrelsome wife.^(Kluge 2011|847)^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Im siebten Himmel'' comes from the apocryphal Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs and reached the modern languages chiefly through the Talmud and the Koran; the New Testament knows only a third heaven.^(Kluge 2011|847) Wahrig dates the phrase only from the mid-19th century, earlier ''bis zum dritten Himmel'' being used.^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * End of the 8th century – Old High German ''sibun'' in glosses and Isidor.^(EWA|7, 1170)^(Köbler AHD)

+ * Middle High German – ''die sieben Sinne''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1624 – First record of ''Siebensachen''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1770 – ''Siebenmeilenstiefel'' is formed after French.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 18th century – ''Siebenschläfer'' names the dormouse.^(Paul 2002)

+ * Mid-19th century – ''im siebten Himmel'' is recorded.^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Numeral===

+ # [[m|en|seven|alt=Seven]], the number between six and eight.^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # Seven o'clock: ''wir treffen uns um sieben''.^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''die Sieben'': the [[m|en|digit]] 7.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # A playing card with seven pips.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' The bus or tram of route 7.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[siebte]]

+ * [[Siebtel]]

+ * [[siebzehn]]

+ * [[siebzig]]

+ * [[Siebensachen]]

+ * [[Siebenschläfer]]

+ * [[Siebenmeilenstiefel]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|to sift}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=late Middle High German|origins=gmw-pro *sibi}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈziːbən/, [ˈziːbn̩], [ˈziːbm̩]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Austria: [ˈsiːm]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sieben''' (third-person singular present siebt, past tense siebte, past participle gesiebt, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The verb is [[inh|gmh|siben]], formed from [[Sieb|t=sieve]].^(Wiktionary)^(Lexer 1872|2, 898)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The noun is [[goh|sib]] (9th century), from [[gmw-pro|*sibi]], the same word as [[gml|sēve]], [[nl|zeef]], [[ang|sife]] and [[en|sieve]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(EWA|7, 1165) Pfeifer connects it with [[goh|seivar|t=saliva, foam]], [[Seife]] and [[sichten]], and traces the group to a root [[ine-pro|*seyb-|t=to pour out, trickle]];^(Pfeifer 1993) the EWA thinks of an extension of the root [[ine-pro|*seh₂y-|t=to bind]], but finds the vowel unexplained.^(EWA|7, 1165)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Middle High German ''siben'' means “to sift”, glossing Latin ''cribrare'';^(Lexer 1872|2, 898) Lexer quotes ''daʒ arge von dem besten sieben'', “to sift the bad from the best”.^(Lexer 1872|2, 898)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Pfeifer dates the verb to the 15th century, and the transferred sense “to select strictly, weed out” to after 1850.^(Pfeifer 1993) The Grimms quote the plain sense from the Bible, ''wenn man siebet, so bleibet das unflettige drinnen'' (Sirach 27:5), and give examples in Eichendorff and Keller of oats for horses, and note its use for straining liquids.^(DWB|16, 779)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 9th century – Old High German ''sib'' “sieve”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 15th century – The verb ''sieben'' is established.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * After 1850 – The sense “to select strictly”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|sift]], to pass through a [[m|en|sieve]]: ''den Puderzucker über den Kuchen sieben''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To examine people or things critically and weed out the unsuitable ones: ''die Jury hat die Einsendungen streng gesiebt''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[durchsieben]]

+ * [[aussieben]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[September]]

+ * [[Sieb]]

+ * [[en|seven]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}