häufig German · revision 35516

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=16th century|origins=gem-pro *hūpô}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * [ˈhɔɪ̯.fɪç], [ˈhɔɪ̯.fɪk]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''häufig''' (strong nominative masculine singular häufiger, comparative häufiger, superlative am häufigsten)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|de|Haufen|-ig]], formed in the 16th century and first meaning “in heaps, heaped”;^(Kluge 2011|399)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) Wiktionary analyses it as the stem of [[häufen]] with the suffix.^(Kluge 2011|399)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) It displaced the older form [[häuficht]] in the written language in the 17th century; compare [[gmh|hūfeht|t=heaped]].^(DWB|10, 593)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ The noun is [[m|gmh|hūfe]], [[goh|hūfo]], [[gem-pro|*hūpô]], found only in German, beside the ablaut form [[m|goh|houf]], [[osx|hōp]] and [[ang|hēap]], continued in [[en|heap]] and [[nl|hoop]].^(Kluge 2011|399)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) Outside Germanic the nearest form is [[lt|kaupas|alt=káupas|t=heap]].^(Kluge 2011|399) Pfeifer takes it from [[ine-pro|*kewb-]], an extension of [[ine-pro|*kew-|t=to bend]], the root also behind [[Hüfte]] and [[hüpfen]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The adjective appears in the 16th century; the FWB records it from the second third of the century, of people and animals “in crowds, in great numbers” and of things “in heaps, in large quantity, abundant”.^(Kluge 2011|399)^(FWB)^(Pfeifer 1993) An early dictionary glosses Latin ''conglobatim, turmatim'' “in a mass, in troops” with ''heufig''.^(DWB|10, 593)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Until the early 19th century it meant “in heaps, plentiful, in crowds”: Luther's Bible has the princes coming ''heufig'' before the king (Daniel 6:6), and Voss's Odyssey speaks of ''häufige Kiesel'', densely packed pebbles.^(DWB|10, 593)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020) The FWB also records a sense “very strong, violent”.^(FWB) The sense “often”, of repetition in time, is recorded from the second half of the 18th century, and Adelung already gives it as a figurative use.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Adelung 1793|2, 1007) Speakers today no longer connect the word with ''Haufen''.^(Duden 7 2020) The old sense can still be read in Eichendorff and Kleist, where blood or tears flow ''häufig''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 16th century – First record, in the sense “in heaps, in great numbers”.^(Kluge 2011|399)^(FWB)

+ * 17th century – ''häufig'' displaces ''häuficht'' in the written language.^(DWB|10, 593)

+ * Second half of the 18th century – First record of the sense “often”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * Early 19th century – The sense “in heaps, abundant” goes out of use.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|frequent]], occurring often or in large numbers: ''ein häufiger Irrtum''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|common]].^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(literary, dated)'' Plentiful, in large quantity.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|often]], frequently.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Haufen]]

+ * [[häufeln]]

+ * [[zuhauf]]

+ * [[en|heap]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}