beschreiben German · revision 35526

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=c. 1185, Hartmann von Aue, Erec|origins=la scrībō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /bəˈʃʁaɪ̯bm̩/, /bəˈʃʁaɪ̯bən/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''beschreiben''' (class 1 strong, third-person singular present beschreibt, past tense beschrieb, past participle beschrieben, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|beschrīben|t=to write down, record, depict]], formed with [[be-]] from [[schreiben]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler MHD)^(Wiktionary DE) The same verb is [[nl|beschrijven]].^(DWB|1, 1592)

+

+ [[goh|scrīban]] and its Germanic relatives (such as [[osx|skrīƀan]] and [[ang|scrīfan|t=to decree; to hear confession]], whence [[en|shrive]]) were borrowed from [[la|scrībō|t=to write]], and took strong inflection in Germanic.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler AHD) Pfeifer thinks two borrowings likely: an earlier one in the sense “to order, decree”, as in the Old English verb, and a later one meaning “to write in Latin letters”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Middle High German ''beschrīben'' is first recorded in Hartmann's ''Erec'' (about 1185) and in charters from 1261, meaning “to write down, record, set down legally, describe, summon in writing”.^(Köbler MHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Paul gives “to record, make notes about” as the first sense, as in Luther's ''des Gesetzes Werk sei beschrieben in ihrem Herzen'' (Romans 2:15); from it came, already in Middle High German, the usual modern sense “to put into words, depict”, in which the idea of writing has faded.^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|1, 1592) With a different object, governed by ''be-'', it means “to write on”: ''ein Blatt beschreiben''.^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|1, 1592) The negative [[unbeschreiblich]] belongs to the sense “depict”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ In Early New High German the verb also meant to register people or property for taxes,^(FWB) and Adelung records ''jemanden auf den Landtag beschreiben'' “to summon by letter” as Upper German.^(Adelung 1793|1, 905) Geometry has used ''einen Kreis beschreiben'' since the 16th century; the sense was then extended to birds, stars and hands that trace a path, first in Lessing, perhaps after [[en|describe]].^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1185 – Middle High German ''beschrīben'' in Hartmann's ''Erec''.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 1261 – In Middle High German charters.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 16th century – ''einen Kreis beschreiben'' in geometry.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1793 – Adelung records the Upper German sense “to summon in writing”.^(Adelung 1793|1, 905)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To write on, fill with writing: ''Er hat das ganze Heft beschrieben.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(computing)'' To write data to a storage medium: ''einen USB-Stick beschreiben''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|describe]], render in words: ''Sie beschrieb der Polizei den Mann genau.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # To trace a curved path or movement: ''Der Weg beschreibt eine Schleife um den See.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(biology)'' To describe a new species scientifically.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Beschreibung]]

+ * [[unbeschreiblich]]

+ * [[Beschreiber]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[schreiben]]

+ * [[en|shrive]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}