Vater German · revision 35210

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=ine-pro *ph₂tḗr}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈfaːtər/, /ˈfaːtɐ/, /ˈfatər/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Germany: [ˈfɑːtʰɐ]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Austria, Southern-Germany, Switzerland: /ˈfɑːtɐ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Vater''' ''m'' (genitive Vaters, plural Väter, diminutive Väterchen n)^(Wiktionary)

+ The stem vowel was short in older German and was lengthened in New High German; it stays short in [[Gevatter]] and in most Central and Upper German dialects.^(DWB|25, 13) The spelling ''vatter'' was common until the late 17th century, and Luther's Bible of 1545 helped ''vater'' to prevail.^(DWB|25, 13)

+ Old High German left the genitive and dative singular without an ending.^(AWB|3, 654) The umlauted plural ''veter'' begins in Middle High German and finally displaced the plural ''vater''.^(DWB|25, 13)^(Lexer 1872|3, 32)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|vater]], [[inh|goh|fater]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*fader]], [[inh|gem-pro|*fadēr|t=father]].^(Kluge 2011|948)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same word is [[got|𐍆𐌰𐌳𐌰𐍂|tr=fadar]], [[non|faðir]], [[ang|fæder]], [[ofs|feder]] and [[osx|fadar]], and it lives on in [[nl|vader]], [[en|father]] and [[sv|fader]].^(Kluge 2011|948)^(Pfeifer 1993) Gothic has it only once, in Galatians 4:6, and otherwise uses [[m|got|𐌰𐍄𐍄𐌰|tr=atta]].^(Kluge 2011|948)^(EWA|3, 88)

+

+ It continues [[ine-pro|*ph₂tḗr|t=father]], also found in [[sa|पितृ|tr=pitṛ́]], [[grc|πατήρ|tr=patḗr]], [[la|pater]], [[sga|athir]], [[xto|pācar]] and [[txb|pācer]].^(Kluge 2011|948)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) It is formed with the suffix of the kinship terms, as are [[Mutter]], [[Bruder]] and [[Tochter]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|893) Kroonen describes it as a ter-stem with the accent on the suffix.^(Kroonen 2013) The word shows the First Germanic Sound Shift, by which /p/ became /f/;^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) the /t/, however, appears as Germanic /d/, which the Grimms called an irregular shift, and Wiktionary sets up an earlier [[m|gem-pro|*faþḗr]].^(DWB|25, 13)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ Kluge takes the word to refer to the father's social position as master of the household and the extended family, and finds no certain further etymology.^(Kluge 2011|948) Pfeifer and the Duden consider either a nursery word or the root [[ine-pro|*peh₂-|t=to guard, protect, pasture]], without deciding;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|893) Wahrig favours the root,^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) and Köbler gives it the sense “to feed”.^(Köbler AHD) Beside the formal word most languages have a nursery word for the physical father, such as the Gothic one above, [[en|daddy]] and [[Papa]].^(Kluge 2011|948)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''fater'' is recorded from the 8th century, in glosses (about 765) and the ''Hildebrandslied'', and then often in Isidor, the Tatian, Otfrid and Notker.^(Kluge 2011|948)^(Köbler AHD)^(EWA|3, 88) It meant “father”, and also “abbot” and, glossing Latin ''creator'' and ''genitor'', “creator, begetter”;^(EWA|3, 88)^(Schützeichel 2012|98) ''hōhēr fater'' was a patriarch.^(EWA|3, 88)^(Schützeichel 2012|98)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Middle High German used the word of God and of the ruler of a land (''ein vater des landes'').^(Lexer 1872|3, 32) The plural came to include more distant ancestors, as in ''zu seinen Vätern versammelt werden'', and many compounds name men who fill part of a father's role: [[Stiefvater]], [[Pflegevater]], [[Schwiegervater]], [[Landesvater]], [[Beichtvater]], [[Kirchenvater]].^(Paul 2002) The Pope is ''der Heilige Vater'', and a venerable old man could be called ''Vater'', as in ''Turnvater Jahn''.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) After Latin ''pater patriae'' one spoke of a ''Vater des Vaterlandes'', and, with the sense of authorship, of ''der Vater des Gedankens'' or the fathers of the Basic Law;^(Paul 2002) Döblin has ''Vater Staat''.^(Paul 2002) In northern Germany ''Vater'' is often used in the family without the article, like a name, which gave rise to an accusative ''Vatern''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ [[Vaterland]], Old High German ''faterlant'', is an 11th-century rendering of Latin ''patria'';^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) the Duden dates it to the 12th century.^(Duden 7 2020|893) The ''Vaterunser'' follows Latin ''pater noster'', with the possessive after the noun.^(Duden 7 2020|893)^(Pfeifer 1993) The colloquial [[Vatermörder]] “high stiff collar” (19th century) is probably a folk-etymological reinterpretation of French ''parasite'' as ''parricide''.^(Duden 7 2020|893) Hungarian borrowed ''fater'' “father” (1628), and English took over ''Vaterland'' for a German's fatherland (1852).^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * About 765 – Old High German ''fater'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)^(Kluge 2011|948)

+ * 11th century – ''faterlant'' “fatherland” is formed after Latin ''patria''.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Middle High German – The umlauted plural ''veter'' begins.^(DWB|25, 13)

+ * 1545 – Luther's Bible spells ''vater'' rather than ''vatter''.^(DWB|25, 13)

+ * 1628 – Hungarian ''fater'' is recorded as a loan from German.^(LWP)

+ * 18th century – ''vater'' is the only spelling of the written language;^(DWB|25, 13)^(Pfeifer 1993) ''vaterländisch'' appears.^(DWB|25, 13)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1852 – English records ''Vaterland''.^(LWP)

+ * 19th century – ''Vatermörder'' names a high collar.^(Duden 7 2020|893)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|father]]: a man who has begotten one or more children: ''im Sommer ist er zum zweiten Mal Vater geworden''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A man who takes the role of a father, bringing up children: ''die Kinder haben in ihm einen neuen Vater gefunden''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # A [[m|en|protector]] and helper of others: ''ein Vater der Armen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # The originator or founder of something: ''der geistige Vater des Plans''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''(Christianity)'' God the Father; a title and form of address of priests;^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE) ''Heiliger Vater'' is the title of the [[m|en|pope|alt=Pope]].^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(plural, elevated)'' [[m|en|ancestor|alt=Ancestors]], forefathers.^(Wiktionary DE)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[väterlich]]

+ * [[Vaterland]]

+ * [[vaterländisch]]

+ * [[Vaterunser]]

+ * [[Vatermörder]]

+ * [[Stiefvater]]

+ * [[Großvater]]

+ * [[Schwiegervater]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Vetter]]

+ * [[Gevatter]]

+ * [[Pater]]

+ * [[Patriot]]

+ * [[en|father]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Vater Staat'' (humorous) is the state, especially as collector of taxes and giver of money, and ''Vater Rhein'' the Rhine personified.^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Kesser Vater'' (slangy, often derogatory) is a masculine-looking lesbian woman.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}