drei German · revision 35415

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=ine-pro *tréyes}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /dʁaɪ̯/, [dʁaɪ̯]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''drei''' (cardinal number; genitive ''dreier'', dative ''dreien'' when inflected)^(Wiktionary)^(DWB2|6, 1348)

+ Old High German distinguished the genders: masculine ''drī'', feminine ''drīo'', neuter ''driu''.^(DWB2|6, 1348)^(Duden 7 2020|213) The number was inflected into Middle High German times; uninflected genitive and dative forms appear from the 15th century, and, from the 17th the rule for the numbers four to twelve gradually prevailed, though Tieck still wrote ''nach dreien Tagen'' “after three days”.^(DWB2|6, 1348)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|drī]], [[inh|goh|drī]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*þrīʀ]], [[inh|gem-pro|*þrīz]], from [[ine-pro|*tréyes|t=three]], the masculine nominative plural of the Indo-European numeral.^(Kluge 2011|215)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same numeral is [[got|𐌸𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃|tr=þreis]], [[non|þrír]], [[ang|þrī]], [[osx|thria]] and [[ofs|thrē]], with Dutch [[m|nl|drie]] and English [[m|en|three]]; the English form comes from the Old English feminine and neuter ⟨þrēo⟩.^(Kluge 2011|215)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB2|6, 1348) Outside Germanic it matches [[la|trēs]], [[grc|τρεῖς|tr=treîs]], [[lt|trys|alt=trỹs]], [[sga|trí]], [[ru|три|tr=tri]] and [[hit|teri]].^(Kluge 2011|215)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) Kroonen reconstructs the whole Germanic paradigm, with the stem ⟨*tri-⟩ in the oblique cases, the same ablaut grade as in [[dritte]] and in Latin ⟨tri-⟩.^(Kroonen 2013)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ Carruba traces the numeral further to [[ine-pro|*ter-|t=going beyond]].^(Kluge 2011|215) The Grimms' dictionary takes the numerals, with the pronouns, as the surest evidence that the Indo-European languages are related.^(DWB|2, 1369)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''drī'' is recorded from the 8th century, first in glosses of about 765, then in the Benedictine Rule, Isidor, the Tatian, Otfrid and Notker.^(Kluge 2011|215)^(Köbler AHD) Schützeichel lists the phrase ''ze drīn mālen'' “three times”.^(Schützeichel 2012|76)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Three, the smallest plurality, has a special place in myth, fairy tale, law and folk custom, and Christianity strengthened this through the doctrine of the Trinity; hence the proverb ''aller guten Dinge sind drei'' “all good things come in threes”.^(Duden 7 2020|213) [[Dreieinigkeit]] and [[Dreifaltigkeit]], both Middle High German, prevailed among many attempts to render Latin ''trinitas''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ [[Dreieck]] “triangle” has stood for Latin ''triangulum'' since the 16th century, and ''dreieckiges Verhältnis'' (1902), later [[Dreiecksverhältnis]], was modelled on the Norwegian of Ibsen's play ''Hedda Gabler''.^(Paul 2002) The phrase ''nicht bis drei zählen können'' “to be stupid” dates from the 17th century, while Luther said ''sieben'' “seven” instead.^(Pfeifer 1993) [[Dreier]] was a small coin, late Middle High German ''drīer''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|213)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''drī'' appears in glosses;^(Kluge 2011|215)^(Köbler AHD)^(Pfeifer 1993) ''thrīʒug'' “thirty” is also recorded.^(Kluge 2011|215)^(Köbler AHD)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * c. 1000 – ''thrīzehan'' “thirteen” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 15th century – Uninflected genitive and dative forms of ''drei'' appear.^(DWB2|6, 1348)

+ * 16th century – ''Dreieck'' renders Latin ''triangulum''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 17th century – ''nicht bis drei zählen können'' “to be stupid” is recorded; the numeral gradually stops being inflected.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1902 – ''dreieckiges Verhältnis'' “love triangle” is recorded.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Numeral===

+ # [[m|en|three]], the number 3.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' Three o'clock; three years old.^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[dreißig]]

+ * [[dreizehn]]

+ * [[dritte]]

+ * [[Drei]]

+ * [[Dreieck]]

+ * [[Dreier]]

+ * [[dreifach]]

+ * [[Dreifaltigkeit]]

+ * [[Dreieinigkeit]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Drilling]]

+ * [[Drillich]]

+ * [[en|three]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Nicht bis drei zählen können'' (“not be able to count to three”) means to be not very bright, and ''für drei essen'' is to eat a great deal.^(Duden GWDS 1999) The noun [[Drei]] names the figure 3, a three in dice or cards, and the school mark “satisfactory”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}