vertreten German · revision 35285

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=end of the 8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=gmw-pro *fratredan}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ferˈtreːtən/, [fɐˈtʁeː.tn̩], [fɛɐ̯-]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''vertreten''' (class 5 strong, third-person singular present vertritt, past tense vertrat, past participle vertreten, past subjunctive verträte, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|vertreten]], [[inh|goh|firtretan|t=to trample down]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*fratredan|t=to tread upon]], formed with the prefix [[ver-]] from [[treten]].^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler AHD)^(Duden 7 2020|872) [[ang|fortredan|t=to trample]] died out early; [[da|fortræde]] and [[sv|företräda]] were taken from German.^(DWB|25, 1982) Beside the strong verb there was also a weak one, still alive in Upper German.^(DWB|25, 1982)

+

+ The base verb goes back to [[gmw-pro|*tredan|t=to tread]], seen in [[ang|tredan]] and [[en|tread]], beside [[gem-pro|*trudaną]] in [[got|𐍄𐍂𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽|tr=trudan]] and [[non|troða]].^(Kluge 2011|929)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) Kluge finds no exact comparison outside Germanic and takes the verb to be probably imitative, like [[trampeln]];^(Kluge 2011|929) Pfeifer tentatively starts from a participle [[ine-pro|*druto-]] of a root [[ine-pro|*dreu-|t=to run, tread]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''firtretan'' is first recorded in glosses of the end of the 8th century, and then in the Tatian, Otfrid and Notker, meaning “to trample down, crush; to oppress”.^(Köbler AHD)^(DWB|25, 1982) Only this sense is found in Old High German.^(DWB|25, 1982)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The meaning branched out in Middle High German, where ''vertreten'' already meant “to take someone's place”.^(DWB|25, 1982)^(Duden 7 2020|872) From there came “to intercede for” (in hymns, of Christ before the Father), “to defend a case in court”, “to stand up for a belief” (Leibniz) and “to deputize for someone in office”.^(Paul 2002) “To represent, stand for” arose only in the 19th century, as when a book represents a genre or a party is fully represented at a meeting.^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|25, 1982)

+

+ The older sense “to tread down, wear out by treading” appears in Hartmann von Aue: ''si vertraten bluomen unde gras'' (“they trampled flowers and grass”).^(Paul 2002) From it come ''sich den Fuß vertreten'', to sprain one's foot, and ''jemandem den Weg vertreten'', to block someone's way.^(Paul 2002) ''Sich die Beine vertreten'', to stretch one's legs, was at first Low German, recorded by Adelung and Campe, and became High German in the 19th century.^(Paul 2002) The agent noun [[Vertreter]] goes back to Middle High German; its use for a commercial traveller is recorded in 1905.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020|872)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * End of the 8th century – Old High German ''firtretan'' “to trample down” appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * Middle High German – The sense “to take someone's place” appears.^(Duden 7 2020|872)

+ * Second half of the 17th century – The feminine ''Vertreterin'' is recorded.^(Duden 7 2020|872)

+ * 19th century – Sense “to represent, stand for”.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 19th century – ''Sich die Beine vertreten'' passes from Low German into High German.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1905 – ''Vertreter'' is recorded in the sense “sales representative”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To stand in for, [[m|en|substitute]] for someone for a time: ''Während ihres Urlaubs vertritt sie ein Kollege.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To look after someone's interests or rights as their agent: ''Die Firma wird im Prozess von einem bekannten Anwalt vertreten.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To [[m|en|represent]] an institution, a firm or a country: ''Die Läuferin vertritt ihren Verein bei der Meisterschaft.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To work as a sales representative for a firm: ''Er vertritt eine Möbelfirma in Norddeutschland.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(vertreten sein)'' To be present, to be found among others: ''Auf der Messe sind viele Aussteller aus Asien vertreten.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # To hold and [[m|en|defend]] an opinion or position: ''Sie vertritt die Ansicht, dass Bildung kostenlos sein sollte.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''sich die Beine vertreten'': to stretch one's legs after sitting for a long time.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''sich den Fuß vertreten'': to [[m|en|sprain]] one's foot.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(dated)'' ''jemandem den Weg vertreten'': to block someone's way.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Vertreter]]

+ * [[Vertretung]]

+ * [[vertretbar]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[betreten]]

+ * [[zertreten]]

+ * [[treten]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}