machen German · revision 35418

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈmaxən/, [ˈmäχən], [ˈmäχn̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''machen''' (third-person singular present macht, past tense machte, past participle gemacht, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ An old subjunctive past ''mechte'' (beside ''machte'') is still found in the 16th and 17th centuries and in Thuringian dialect.^(DWB|12, 1363)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|machen]], [[inh|goh|mahhōn]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*makōn]], a weak verb found only in West Germanic.^(Kluge 2011|590)^(Wiktionary)^(DWB|12, 1363) The same word is [[osx|makon]], [[ang|macian]] and [[ofs|makia]], with Dutch [[m|nl|maken]] and English [[m|en|make]];^(Kluge 2011|590)^(DWB|12, 1363) [[is|maka]], [[sv|maka]] and [[da|mage]] were borrowed from it.^(Kluge 2011|590)^(DWB|12, 1363)

+

+ Kluge derives it from a root [[ine-pro|*maǵ-|t=to knead]], which has special craft uses in several languages, especially Greek: [[grc|μάσσω|tr=mássō|t=I knead, press, wipe, mould]].^(Kluge 2011|590)^(Duden 7 2020) The general Germanic sense, in which building plays a large part, may go back to smearing house walls with clay;^(Kluge 2011|590)^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020|524) Paul and the Duden dictionary likewise take it as first a word of clay building, “to knead, shape, join”.^(Kluge 2011|590)^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020|524) Wiktionary instead derives the verb from an adjective [[gmw-pro|*mak|t=fit, suitable]], which also lies behind [[gemach]].^(Wiktionary)^(Orel 2003)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''mahhōn'' is recorded from the 8th century, first in glosses of about 765, then in Otfrid and Notker, meaning “make, do, create, produce, bring about, join, form”.^(Kluge 2011|590)^(Köbler AHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From “knead, shape, join” the verb came to mean “prepare, put in order”, and then became so general that it serves as the causative verb of German (“to bring about”).^(Paul 2002) In this it competed with [[tun]] and partly drove it out of its earlier uses.^(Paul 2002) From the idea of fitting together come [[gemach]], first “fitting, comfortable”, with [[allmählich]], and the noun [[Gemach]].^(Duden 7 2020|524)

+

+ Paul thinks ''Geld machen'' “to make money” was probably modelled on English ''to make money''.^(Paul 2002) The verb has many compounds and derivatives, among them [[vermachen]] “bequeath”, with [[Vermächtnis]] (16th century), and [[Machenschaft]], which first meant “nature, quality” in the 18th century.^(Duden 7 2020|524)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''mahhōn'' appears in glosses.^(Kluge 2011|590)^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 16th century – ''Vermächtnis'' “legacy” is recorded.^(Duden 7 2020|524)

+ * 16th–17th centuries – The subjunctive ''mechte'' is still in use.^(DWB|12, 1363)

+ * 18th century – ''Machenschaft'' and ''Machwerk'' are recorded.^(Duden 7 2020|524)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To make, [[m|en|produce]], manufacture (''Möbel machen''); to prepare food or drink (''Kaffee machen'').^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To cause, bring about (''Lärm machen'', ''jemandem Arbeit machen'').^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(informal)'' To do, carry out.^(Wiktionary)

+ # To make someone or something into something, or put it in a state.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' To come to, amount to; in arithmetic, to make.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' To [[m|en|earn]] (money, profit).^(Wiktionary)^(Paul 2002)

+ # To play, act as (a role).^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' To matter (with ''nichts'', ''viel'').^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(informal, euphemistic)'' To relieve oneself.^(Wiktionary)

+ # Reflexive: to do, fare; to look a certain way; to work out.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Macher]]

+ * [[abmachen]]

+ * [[aufmachen]]

+ * [[ausmachen]]

+ * [[bekanntmachen]]

+ * [[einmachen]]

+ * [[fertigmachen]]

+ * [[vermachen]]

+ * [[wettmachen]]

+ * [[machbar]]

+ * [[anmachen]]

+ * [[durchmachen]]

+ * [[freimachen]]

+ * [[hermachen]]

+ * [[heruntermachen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[gemach]]

+ * [[allmählich]]

+ * [[Makler]]

+ * [[Steinmetz]]

+ * [[en|make]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}