zuvor German · revision 35229

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=compound|attested=late 14th century}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /t͡suˈfoːɐ̯/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''zuvor'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|de|zu|vor]].^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE) According to Paul and the Grimms it came into High German from Low German: [[gml|tovoren]] was taken into Middle German as [[m|de|zuvorn]], first recorded in Nikolaus von Jeroschin, and only later adapted to the adverb [[vor]].^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|32, 883)^(Wiktionary DE) The Grimms point out that neither Old nor Middle High German had the word in its narrow temporal and spatial sense; on High German ground they find it first in late Middle High German vocabularies.^(DWB|32, 883)

+

+ The West Germanic formation is old: [[osx|teforan]], [[ofs|tofara]] and [[ang|tōforan]], whose modern English counterpart is [[m|en|before]].^(DWB|32, 883) The Grimms take the High German adverb to stand to the Low German one as [[bevor]] stands to [[m|gml|bevoren]].^(DWB|32, 883)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A Middle High German ''zuovor'' “before, in advance” is recorded at the end of the 14th century.^(Köbler MHD) The Grimms cite it for Latin ''abante'' in the Eltville vocabulary of 1472, and in the form ''zuvorn'' in Luther.^(DWB|32, 883)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Early New High German, and still in 19th-century letters, the word opened a greeting: ''meinen grusz zuvor, lieber vater'' (“my greetings first, dear father”).^(Paul 2002) Today it belongs to the more formal register and means the same as [[vorher]].^(Paul 2002) The particle verb [[zuvorkommen]] now means to forestall a rival, but in Early New High German, as in Luther's Romans 12:10, it meant to outdo someone in respect or kindness; from that sense comes the adjective ''zuvorkommend'' “obliging”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * End of the 14th century – Middle High German ''zuovor'' is recorded.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 1472 – A vocabulary from Eltville glosses Latin ''abante'' with the word.^(DWB|32, 883)

+ * 15th century – ''zuvor'' spreads, probably after Low German ''tovoren''.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ * 16th century – Luther writes ''zuvorn''.^(DWB|32, 883)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|before]], [[m|en|previously]], first: ''Wir fahren gleich, aber zuvor muss ich tanken.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # With a time expression: before that, earlier: ''am Tag zuvor'', ''kurz zuvor'', ''wie nie zuvor''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[zuvorkommen]]

+ * [[zuvorkommend]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[zu]]

+ * [[vor]]

+ * [[vorher]]

+ * [[bevor]]

+ * [[en|before]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}