gegenüber German · revision 35212

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=16th century}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * [ɡeːɡŋ̍ˈʔyːbɐ]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''gegenüber''' (preposition with the dative, placed before or after its noun; adverb)^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ It was written separately, as ''gegen … über'', until the 19th century.^(DWB|5, 2276) Maaler's dictionary of 1561 is the first to write it as one word, while Adelung in 1796 still kept the parts apart.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a 16th-century fusion [[af|de|gegen|über]].^(Kluge 2011|340)^(Wiktionary) In Middle High German each of the prepositions could mean “opposite” on its own; they were then combined, at first freely in either order, before the order with gegen first prevailed.^(DWB|5, 2276) For a long time the governed word stood between the parts, in the dative that gegen takes, while über was used as an adverb beside it.^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|5, 2276) The fusion started in sentences with no governed word, where the reference was clear from the context.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ The first element continues [[goh|gagan]], [[gem-pro|*gagna-]], which has no known relatives outside Germanic and is etymologically unexplained.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(EWA|4, 7)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The combination first appears with the governed noun between the parts: a Frankfurt letter of 1400 speaks of a seat ''gein Lanstein uber'', opposite Lahnstein.^(DWB|5, 2276) Luther writes ''vnd satzte sich gegen vber'' “and sat down opposite” (Genesis 21:16), without a noun.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The old split construction was still common in the 18th century: Goethe writes ''ich sehe Friederiken gegen ihr über stehn'', and Klopstock places a grave ''gegen dem hohen Golgatha über''.^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|5, 2276) From the first half of the 18th century the dative is put before the fused word, as in Wieland's ''der schönen Nymphe gegenüber'', which remains the usual order; from the middle of the 19th century the dative also follows it, an order felt to be more refined around 1900.^(Paul 2002) Under the influence of French ''vis-à-vis de'' a construction with [[von]] arose, now normal with place names.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ The word was extended from place to personal relations (''Loyalität gegenüber der Menschheit'', Kipphardt) and to comparisons.^(Paul 2002) It forms verbs such as [[gegenüberliegen]], [[gegenüberstehen]] and [[gegenüberstellen]].^(Paul 2002) The noun [[Gegenüber]], modelled on French [[m|fr|vis-à-vis]], is recorded by Campe in 1808.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1400 – ''gein … uber'' “opposite” with a place name between the parts, in a Frankfurt letter.^(DWB|5, 2276)

+ * 16th century – The fused word appears.^(Kluge 2011|340)

+ * 1561 – Maaler writes it as one word.^(Paul 2002)

+ * First half of the 18th century – A dative before ''gegenüber'' becomes usual.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1796 – Adelung still writes the parts separately.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1808 – Campe records the noun ''Gegenüber''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * Mid-19th century – The dative begins to follow ''gegenüber''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Preposition===

+ # [[m|en|opposite]], facing: ''gegenüber dem Bahnhof steht ein Hotel''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Towards, in relation to a person or thing: ''sie ist Fremden gegenüber sehr offen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|compared|alt=Compared]] with: ''gegenüber dem Vorjahr sind die Mieten gestiegen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # On the opposite side: ''er wohnt direkt gegenüber'';^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''schräg gegenüber'' is diagonally across.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[demgegenüber]]

+ * [[Gegenüber]]

+ * [[gegenüberliegen]]

+ * [[gegenüberstehen]]

+ * [[gegenüberstellen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[gegen]]

+ * [[über]]

+ * [[entgegen]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}