groß German · revision 35391

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=9th century|origins=gem-pro *grautaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɡʁoːs/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''groß''' (strong nominative masculine singular großer, comparative größer, superlative am größten or am größesten)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|grōz]], [[inh|goh|grōz]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*grauta-]], an adjective found only in West Germanic.^(Kluge 2011|376)^(Pfeifer 1993) The same word is [[osx|grōt]], [[ang|grēat]] and [[ofs|grāt]]; [[nl|groot]] and [[en|great]] continue it.^(Kluge 2011|376)^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ Its original meaning was “coarse, coarsely ground”: beside it stands [[non|grautr|t=groats]], and it is an adjective with o-grade from the strong verb [[gem-pro|*greutaną|t=to grind]], which survives in Old High German only in the participle [[m|goh|firgrozzen]].^(Kluge 2011|376)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Wiktionary) Formally it matches [[lt|graudùs|t=brittle, crumbly]].^(Kluge 2011|376)^(Pfeifer 1993) Pfeifer, Köbler and Wiktionary trace it to [[ine-pro|*gʰrewd-|t=to rub, grind]], an extension of [[ine-pro|*gʰer-]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler AHD)^(Wiktionary) It is thus closely related to [[Grieß]], [[Grütze]] and [[Grus]].^(Duden 7 2020)^(Kluge 2011|376)

+

+ In continental West Germanic the word replaced the common Germanic adjective for “big”, [[goh|mihhil]], [[got|𐌼𐌹𐌺𐌹𐌻𐍃|tr=mikils]], [[ang|micel]], which survives in [[en|much]] and in place names such as Michelstadt and Mecklenburg.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Kroonen 2013)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''grōz'' is recorded from the 9th century, in Otfrid (863–871), Notker and the glosses, meaning “big, strong, long, broad, thick”.^(Kluge 2011|376)^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|133) The sense “coarse-grained” still lived on in Old English and occasionally in Early New High German.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From “coarse-grained” came “massive, thick”, the main sense in Middle High German, where “big” was still expressed by ''michel''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) The word was then extended to other dimensions (“long, wide”), to quantities (“numerous”) and to rank and value (“important, eminent, noble”).^(Pfeifer 1993) Its use as an intensifying adverb, common in older New High German, is now limited to negative phrases like ''nicht groß'' “not much”, while colloquial ''ganz groß'' “splendidly” is recent.^(Pfeifer 1993) With a measure, ''groß'' took the genitive until the 19th century (''einer Elle groß'', Luther) and the accusative from the end of the 18th (''zwei Meter groß'').^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Many compounds are loan translations: ''Großmutter'' (around 1400) and ''Großvater'' follow French ''grand-mère'' and ''grand-père'' and replaced ''Ahne'', and ''Großherzog'' (16th century) follows Italian ''gran duca''.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) ''Großstadt'' is found in the 16th century and again in the early 19th;^(Duden 7 2020)^(Pfeifer 1993) ''großartig'' (early 19th century) first stood for ''grandios''.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 863–871 – Old High German ''grōz'' in Otfrid.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * c. 1400 – ''Großmutter'', a loan translation of French ''grand-mère''.^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * 16th century – ''Großherzog'', after Italian ''gran duca''.^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * End of the 18th century – Measures are given in the accusative (''zwei Meter groß'').^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Early 19th century – ''großartig'' “magnificent”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 19th century – ''Größenwahn'' “megalomania”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|big]], [[m|en|large]]: exceeding the average in size or extent: ''eine große Stadt'' “a big city”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of a given size: ''der Mann ist zwei Meter groß'' “the man is two metres tall”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # [[m|en|tall]] (of a person).^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Older; grown-up: ''sein großer Bruder'' “his big brother”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # Considerable in number, amount or degree: ''große Freude'' “great joy”.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ # [[m|en|great]], important, eminent.^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ # ''(childish)'' In ''groß machen'': to [[m|en|defecate]].^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Größe]]

+ * [[vergrößern]]

+ * [[großartig]]

+ * [[Großbürger]]

+ * [[Größenwahn]]

+ * [[größenwahnsinnig]]

+ * [[großkotzig]]

+ * [[Großmut]]

+ * [[großmütig]]

+ * [[Großmutter]]

+ * [[großsprecherisch]]

+ * [[großspurig]]

+ * [[Großstadt]]

+ * [[Großstädter]]

+ * [[großstädtisch]]

+ * [[Großvater]]

+ * [[Großherzog]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Gernegroß]]

+ * [[Grieß]]

+ * [[Grütze]]

+ * [[Grus]]

+ * [[grob]]

+ * [[en|great]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}