kosten German · revision 35541

+ {{homograph|1|to cost}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1200, Middle Rhine|origins=la stō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈkɔstən/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''kosten''' (third-person singular present kostet, past tense kostete, past participle gekostet, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The verb meaning “to cost” is [[inh|gmh|kosten]], [[bor|fro|coster|t=to cost]] (now [[fr|coûter]]).^(Kluge 2011|534)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|471) Pfeifer dates the borrowing to about 1200, on the Middle Rhine.^(Pfeifer 1993) The Old French verb continues [[la-vul|*cōstō]], [[m|la-med|costō]], from [[la|cōnstō|t=to stand firm; to cost]], formed from [[m|la|con-]] and [[m|la|stō|t=to stand]].^(Kluge 2011|534)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler MHD) Pfeifer explains that the Latin verb had already passed in Roman business language from “to stand firm” to “to come to, have a price”, probably from a balance coming to rest.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ The same Romance verb was borrowed as [[nl|kosten]], [[en|cost]] and [[sv|kosta]];^(Kluge 2011|534) the EWA takes the Scandinavian verbs from Middle Low German.^(EWA|5, 720) The Grimms' dictionary adds that it spread to the Slavic, Baltic and Celtic languages too, which it puts down to merchants and trade.^(DWB|11, 1865)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Middle High German ''kosten'' meant “to spend, lay out”, “to keep, feed someone” and “to come to, cost”, with the price in the accusative.^(Lexer 1872|1, 1689)^(Köbler MHD) Köbler lists it in Hartmann's ''Iwein'', the ''Marienleben'' (1172–1190) and charters from 1278–1280.^(Köbler MHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Grimms' dictionary notes that the borrowing pushed aside native expressions for the same idea: ''gelten'', ''zu stehen kommen'' and above all Middle High German ''stân'' and ''gestân'', which matched Latin ''cōnstāre'' exactly without being a translation of it.^(DWB|11, 1865)

+

+ The person who pays was put in the accusative or in the dative, and the verb was used freely of other losses: ''es kostet Mühe'', ''Tränen'', ''den Kopf''.^(Paul 2002) In the 18th century, under French influence, it was also used without a price, meaning “to be hard for someone”, as in Wieland and Schiller.^(Paul 2002) The noun ''Kost(e)'', from [[la-med|costa|t=expense]], meant “price, outlay”; this sense is now kept only by the plural [[Kosten]], the only form current since the 18th century, while the singular [[Kost]] narrowed to “expense for food” and then “food”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020|471)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1200 – Middle High German ''kosten'' is borrowed on the Middle Rhine.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1278–1280 – Recorded in Middle High German charters.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 16th–17th century – The singular ''die Kost'' is still used for “expense”.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 18th century – ''die Kosten'' becomes the only form for “expenses”, and ''kosten'' is used without a price, meaning “to be hard for someone”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|cost]], to have a certain price: ''Die Karte kostet zwölf Euro.''^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # To require, take (effort, time, strength): ''Der Umzug hat uns viel Kraft gekostet.''^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # To cost someone something, make someone lose it: ''Der Fehler kostete ihn die Stelle.''^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Kosten]]

+ * [[Kost]]

+ * [[kostbar]]

+ * [[köstlich]]

+ * [[kostspielig]]

+ * [[Unkosten]]

+ * [[kostenlos]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|to taste}}

+

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈkɔstən/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''kosten''' (third-person singular present kostet, past tense kostete, past participle gekostet, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The verb meaning “to taste” is [[inh|gmh|kosten]], [[inh|goh|kostōn|t=to try, test, tempt]], [[inh|gem-pro|*kustōną|t=to try, taste]].^(Kluge 2011|534)^(Wiktionary)^(Duden 7 2020|471) The same verb is [[osx|kostōn]], [[ang|costian|t=to try, tempt]] and, with a different sense, [[non|kosta|t=to use; to strive]].^(Kluge 2011|534)^(DWB|11, 1862) Kluge calls it an intensive formation to [[kiesen]] “to choose”,^(Kluge 2011|534) and Wiktionary derives it from [[gem-pro|*kustuz|t=trial, choice]].^(Wiktionary) That verb is [[got|𐌺𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽|tr=kiusan|t=to test, prove]], and the Grimms' dictionary points out that choosing began with testing by taste.^(DWB|11, 1862)

+

+ The parallel formations [[la|gustus|t=taste]] and [[m|la|gustō|t=to taste, try]] are related, not a source:^(Kluge 2011|534)^(Duden 7 2020|471)^(DWB|11, 1862) both go back to [[ine-pro|*ǵews-|t=to taste, try]].^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)^(Köbler AHD)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''kostōn'' is first recorded in glosses of the third quarter of the 8th century, then in Notker, Otfrid and the Tatian, meaning “to try, test, tempt, put to the proof, consider”.^(Köbler AHD) The Grimms' dictionary notes that the theological sense “to tempt” is the usual one in Old High German (''kostari'' “tempter”), and that Old English ''costian'' was even used of trying one's strength in battle.^(DWB|11, 1862)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sources disagree about when the sense “to taste” took over.^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|11, 1862) Paul writes that the verb was already limited in Middle High German to testing by taste;^(Paul 2002) the Grimms' dictionary finds the modern sense not yet attested there, the few Middle High German examples meaning “to examine by looking, perceive”.^(DWB|11, 1862)^(Lexer 1872|1, 1689) By Early New High German it meant “to smell, taste” and, in forestry, to cut into a tree to test its wood.^(FWB) It was formerly used with the genitive (Voß), which gave way to ''von etwas kosten'' and the accusative.^(Paul 2002) Figurative uses are common in the classics: Schiller's ''ich habe Leben gekostet'' and Goethe's ''den Vorgeschmack der Hölle kosten''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Alemannic kept the unbroken vowel in ''kusten'', ''küsten''.^(DWB|11, 1862) The verb was borrowed into Slovene, Czech and Polish (''kosztować''),^(DWB|11, 1862) and into Hungarian as ''kóstol'', recorded in 1416.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 3rd quarter of the 8th century – Old High German ''kostōn'' in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * c. 1150 – Middle High German ''kosten'' in the ''Kaiserchronik''.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 1416 – Hungarian ''kóstol'' “to taste, get to know” is recorded.^(LWP)

+ * 1954 – Duden records ''Kostprobe''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|taste]], [[m|en|sample]] food or drink: ''Sie kostete die Suppe.'' ''vom frischen Most kosten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(elevated)'' To experience, [[m|en|savour]]: ''den Erfolg kosten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999) Ironically ''etwas zu kosten bekommen'': ''Er bekam ihren Zorn zu kosten.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Kostprobe]]

+ * [[verkosten]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[kiesen]]

+ * [[Kür]]

+ * [[konstant]]

+ * [[en|cost]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The verb meaning “to cost” takes the price in the accusative and the person in the accusative or, less often, the dative: ''das kostet mich'' and ''das kostet mir'';^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary) Paul quotes both from Schiller.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary) The verb meaning “to taste” is a regular weak verb as well, so the forms of the two are the same.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}