verdienen German · revision 35582

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=c. 1000, Notker|origins=gem-pro *þewaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /fɛɐ̯ˈdiːnən/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''verdienen''' (third-person singular present verdient, past tense verdiente, past participle verdient, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|verdienen]], [[inh|goh|firdionōn]], a formation with the prefix [[ver-]] on [[dienen]] “to serve”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)^(Köbler AHD) Wiktionary takes it as a calque of [[la|dēserviō]].^(Wiktionary) The Grimms note that the simple verb is rarely transitive, and that the prefix makes the compound almost always transitive.^(DWB|25, 223)

+

+ The base [[m|goh|dionōn|alt=thionōn]] continues [[gem-pro|*þewanōną|t=to serve]], a verb formed to [[m|gem-pro|*þewaz|t=servant]], seen in [[got|𐌸𐌹𐌿𐍃|tr=þius|t=servant]] and [[ang|þēow]].^(Kluge 2011|199)^(Pfeifer 1993) Kluge and Duden connect the noun with the root [[ine-pro|*tekʷ-|t=to run]] in [[lt|tekėti|t=to run, flow]], so that the servant was properly “a runner”.^(Kluge 2011|199)^(Duden 7 2020|203) Pfeifer calls the connection possible.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''firdionōn'' is recorded about 1000 in Notker, meaning “to earn”.^(Köbler AHD)^(Pfeifer 1993) Middle High German ''verdienen'' meant “to obtain by service or fitting conduct”, and also “to repay, requite” and “to incur (guilt)”.^(Köbler MHD)^(Lexer 1872|1, 426)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense “to repay a favour by service” was common in older German: in the ''Nibelungenlied'' Kriemhild promises Volker ''ich sol eʒ wol verdienen'' “I shall repay it”, and the formula lived on in letters of the 15th to 17th centuries before dying out.^(DWB|25, 223) Adelung records ''ein Lehen verdienen'', to perform personal services for a fief.^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ Paul derives the main modern senses from “to obtain by serving”: first “to earn by work” (''Geld'', ''sein Brot verdienen''), then “to deserve” for one's efforts, whether reward or punishment.^(Paul 2002) Duden 7 dates the sense “to deserve a reward or a punishment” to Middle High German.^(Duden 7 2020|203) The noun [[Verdienst]] (15th century) was masculine for “earnings” and neuter for “merit”, a distinction that settled only after Adelung, and the reflexive ''sich verdienen'' (still in 1753) gave way to ''sich verdient machen''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1000 – Old High German ''firdionōn'' in Notker.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * c. 1200 – Middle High German ''verdienen'' “to repay” in the ''Nibelungenlied'' and Hartmann's ''Iwein''.^(DWB|25, 223)

+ * 15th century – The noun ''Verdienst'' is recorded.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 15th century – ''verdienstlich'' “meritorious” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1753 – Aichinger still uses reflexive ''sich verdienen''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|earn]]: to receive as pay for work: ''sein Studium mit Nachhilfe verdienen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To have a certain income: ''gut verdienen'', ''wenig verdienen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To make a [[m|en|profit]]: ''an etwas verdienen'', ''mit Aktien ein Vermögen verdienen''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|deserve]], merit: ''Respekt verdienen'', ''eine Strafe verdient haben''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Verdienst]]

+ * [[verdienstlich]]

+ * [[verdient]]

+ * [[Verdiener]]

+ * [[gutverdienend]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[dienen]]

+ * [[Dienst]]

+ * [[Diener]]

+ * [[Demut]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}