Begriff German · revision 35368

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1293|origins=gem-pro *grīpaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /bəˈɡʁɪf/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Begriff''' ''m'' (genitive Begriffes or Begriffs, plural Begriffe)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|begrif|t=area, district; extent]], a noun formed from [[begreifen]] in its sense “to enclose, contain”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB2|4, 613)^(Köbler MHD)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The same word is [[gml|begrip]] and [[nl|begrip]].^(DWB2|4, 613)^(Kluge 2011|103)

+

+ The verb is [[gmh|begrīfen]], [[goh|bigrīfan]], formed from [[greifen]], which continues [[gem-pro|*grīpaną|t=to grab]], also in [[got|𐌲𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍀𐌰𐌽|tr=greipan]], [[non|grípa]] and [[ang|grīpan]], and is compared with [[lt|griẽbti|t=to seize]].^(Kluge 2011|103)^(Kluge 2011|373)^(Köbler MHD)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first records, from 1293 and 1295 in charters, use ''begrif'' for a marked-off area, a district or the bounds of a property.^(DWB2|4, 613) Middle High German ''begrif'' meant an adjoining area, district or territory, also extent, meaning and idea.^(Köbler MHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The concrete sense “district, extent” gave way to the mental one, following [[begreifen]], which already in Old High German translated Latin [[m|la|comprehendō]] and came to mean “to understand”.^(Kluge 2011|103)^(Pfeifer 1993) The noun then meant the extent and content of an idea, and also a summary or short extract.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden GWDS 1999) In the Enlightenment the philosophers Wolff and Thomasius brought it into general use, and in their terminology it was narrowed to “general notion”, distinguished from ''Vorstellung'' and used to translate [[Idee]].^(Kluge 2011|103)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ The phrase ''in etwas begriffen sein'' first meant “to be caught in the act”; from the 18th century it was generalised, and ''im Begriff sein, etwas zu tun'' came to mean “to be about to do something”.^(Kluge 2011|103) The adjective [[begrifflich]] is recorded from the 17th century and [[begriffsstutzig]] “slow on the uptake” from the mid-19th, at first often with umlaut.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1293 – First record, for the bounds of a garden, in a charter.^(DWB2|4, 613)

+ * 1314 – Used for the territory under a caliph's authority.^(DWB2|4, 613)

+ * 17th century – The adjective ''begrifflich'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – Wolff and Thomasius make it a philosophical term;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|103) ''im Begriff sein'' “to be about to” develops.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|103)

+ * Mid-19th century – ''begriffsstutzig'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|concept]]: the essential features of something taken together as one unit of thought: ''der Begriff der Freiheit''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[m|en|term]], word or expression.^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # An idea, notion or understanding of something: ''Davon kann ich mir keinen Begriff machen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''im Begriff sein'': to be about to do something: ''Wir waren im Begriff zu gehen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[begrifflich]]

+ * [[begriffsstutzig]]

+ * [[Inbegriff]]

+ * [[Oberbegriff]]

+ * [[Grundbegriff]]

+ * [[Fachbegriff]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[begreifen]]

+ * [[begreiflich]]

+ * [[greifen]]

+ * [[Griff]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Schwer von Begriff sein'' ''(colloquial)'' is to be slow to understand, ''keinen Begriff von etwas haben'' is to have no idea of it, and ''etwas auf den Begriff bringen'' is to put it in a nutshell.^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Jemandem ein Begriff sein'' means to be known to someone.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}