per German · revision 35364

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=first half of the 15th century|origins=la per}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /pɛr/, [pɛʁ], [pɛɐ̯]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''per'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is late [[inh|gmh|per]], [[bor|la|per|t=through, by means of]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)^(Duden 7 2014|626) It came in through the language of merchants in the 15th century, under the influence of the same preposition in [[m|it|per]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)^(DFWB)

+

+ Paul notes that the Italian word covers both Latin [[m|la|per]] and [[m|la|prō|t=for]], which explains uses such as “twice per year”.^(Paul 2002) The Latin preposition is related to the German prefix [[ver-]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|626)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Pfeifer's first record is from the first half of the 15th century, with the name of a debtor: ''solvit per Herman von der Porten 12 mark'' (“paid through Herman von der Porten, 12 marks”).^(Pfeifer 1993) The Deutsches Fremdwörterbuch also dates the oldest phrases of the merchants' language to the early 15th century.^(DFWB)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In trade it served with amounts and prices (''den centner per 12 fl.'' “the hundredweight at 12 florins”, 16th century, ''per Rechnung'', 17th century), with quantities (''per sacko'', 15th century) and with periods of time (''per Monat'', 18th century).^(Pfeifer 1993) Phrases were taken whole from Italian, such as ''per Cassa'' “in cash” in the 16th century and ''per procura'' “by proxy” in the 18th; from the 16th century, under Italian influence, it marked the credit items in bookkeeping.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DFWB)

+

+ It then came to name the means of transport, a use spread by students' slang, sometimes in Latin phrases: ''per Kutsche'' and ''per terra'' “by land” in the 16th century, ''per pedes'' “on foot” in the 17th, ''per Wagen'' in the 18th and ''per Telefon'' in the 19th.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) Colloquial and jocular speech took the pattern further, and it reached the dialects.^(DFWB) Grimmelshausen wrote ''per Spass'' in 1672, Heine used an inflected noun after it in ''per fahrender Post'' (1825), and Thomas Mann ''per sofort''.^(Paul 2002) In the old students' language it even served as a prefix, as in ''sich permachen'' “to run off” (1846).^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * First half of the 15th century – First record, in the language of merchants.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DFWB)

+ * 16th century – ''per'' marks credit items in bookkeeping, and ''per Kutsche'' names a means of transport.^(DFWB)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1579 – ''per gutschi'' “by coach” in a travel book by Ernstinger.^(DFWB)

+ * 1672 – Grimmelshausen writes ''per Spass''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1825 – Heine writes ''per fahrender Post'' in a letter.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1846 – Student slang ''sich permachen'' “to run off”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Preposition===

+ # With the [[m|en|accusative]]: by, by way of, naming how something is sent or carried: ''Wir schicken die Unterlagen per Kurier.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)^(Duden Fremdwörterbuch 2007)

+ # By [[m|en|means]] of, through: ''Sie haben den Vertrag per Handschlag besiegelt.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) Fixed phrases: ''per Adresse'' “care of”, ''mit jemandem per du sein'' “to be on first-name terms with someone”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(commerce)'' As of, by (a date): ''Die Ware ist per ersten März lieferbar.'' ''Per sofort'' means “with immediate effect”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(commerce)'' [[m|en|per]], for each: ''drei Euro per Stück''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)^(Duden Fremdwörterbuch 2007)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[pro]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ A separate neuter noun ''Per'' is jargon for perchloroethylene, the solvent used in dry cleaning.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Duden Fremdwörterbuch 2007)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}