Wirtschaft German · revision 35279

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=10th century, Old High German glosses and Notker}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈvɪʁtʃaft/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Wirtschaft''' ''f'' (genitive Wirtschaft, plural Wirtschaften)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|wirtschaft]], [[inh|goh|wirtscaft]], formed [[af|de|Wirt|-schaft]], and so originally meant whatever belongs to the activity of a [[Wirt]], who could be both the master of a house and a host or innkeeper.^(Kluge 2011|992)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|936) This double sense of the base explains the later development both to “economy” and to “inn”.^(Kluge 2011|992)

+

+ The word is confined to German and Dutch: the same formation is [[osx|werdskepi|t=hospitality, feast]], [[gml|wertschap]], [[dum|wertscap]] and [[nl|waardschap|t=visit, feast]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|936)^(DWB|30, 661) The Grimms' dictionary takes the Scandinavian [[da|vertskab]] and [[sv|värdskap]] as borrowings of the Middle Low German noun.^(DWB|30, 661)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''wirtscaft'' is recorded in glosses of the 10th century and in Notker, meaning “hospitality, entertainment of guests, meal, feast”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|394)^(Pfeifer 1993) In Middle High German ''wirtschaft'' was the activity of a householder, host or innkeeper, and also a meal, a banquet or a festivity.^(Köbler MHD)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ To the old senses “hospitality, meal” were added “inn, tavern” in the 16th century and “household, management of a house or farm” in the 17th.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|936) From the household the word widened to the whole of the institutions and activities that provide people with goods and services, and in the 19th century it became the usual term of economics.^(Duden 7 2020|936)^(Pfeifer 1993) Pfeifer traces the sense “the handling of economic means” back to the 15th century, and the ironic “disorder, mess” to the 18th.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ The adjective [[wirtschaftlich]] has its present meaning “economic; thrifty” from the first half of the 18th century.^(Duden 7 2020|936) German ''Wirtschaft'' was borrowed into Hungarian as ''vircsaft'' (1635) and into Czech as ''virčaft'', both in the sense of disorderly management or a mess.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 10th century – Old High German ''wirtscaft'' in glosses and in Notker.^(Köbler AHD)^(Kluge 2011|992)

+ * 15th century – first uses in the sense “handling of economic means”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 16th century – ''Wirtschaft'' comes to mean an inn.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|936)

+ * 1635 – Hungarian ''vircsaft'', borrowed from German, is recorded.^(LWP)

+ * 17th century – the sense “household, housekeeping” appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|936)

+ * 18th century – the colloquial sense “disorder” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 19th century – ''Wirtschaft'' becomes the usual word for the economy.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The [[m|en|economy]]: the institutions and activities concerned with the production and consumption of goods: ''Die Wirtschaft des Landes wächst wieder.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Short for [[Gastwirtschaft]]: an [[m|en|inn]] or [[m|en|pub]]: ''Nach der Wanderung kehrten wir in eine Wirtschaft ein.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Short for [[Landwirtschaft]]: a (small) [[m|en|farm]].^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # A [[m|en|household]], housekeeping: ''jemandem die Wirtschaft führen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # The management of economic means, economic activity.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' A [[m|en|mess]], disorder.^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' Short for ''Wirtschaftswissenschaft'': [[m|en|economics]] as a subject.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[wirtschaften]]

+ * [[wirtschaftlich]]

+ * [[erwirtschaften]]

+ * [[bewirtschaften]]

+ * [[Gastwirtschaft]]

+ * [[Landwirtschaft]]

+ * [[Hauswirtschaft]]

+ * [[Marktwirtschaft]]

+ * [[Planwirtschaft]]

+ * [[Wirtschaftswunder]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Wirtschaftsflüchtling]]

+ * [[Wirtschaftskrise]]

+ * [[Wirtschaftsminister]]

+ * [[Wirtschaftswissenschaft]]

+ * [[Wirtschaftszweig]]

+ * [[Wirt]]

+ * [[bewirten]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}