König German · revision 35606

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=765, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *kuningaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈkøː.nɪç/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Austria, Southern-Germany: /ˈkøː.nɪk/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''König''' ''m'' (genitive Königes or Königs, plural Könige)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|künec]], [[inh|goh|kuning]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*kuning]], [[inh|gem-pro|*kuningaz|t=king]].^(Kluge 2011|523)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same word is [[osx|kuning]], [[ang|cyning]] (whence [[en|king]]) and [[dum|coninc]], continued in [[nl|koning]], while [[non|konungr]] has the suffix in another ablaut grade.^(Kluge 2011|523)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(EWA|5, 884) The Gothic texts call the king [[m|got|𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽𐍃|tr=þiudans]], a derivative of [[m|got|𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰|tr=þiuda|t=people]].^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|11, 1691) The word was taken very early into [[fi|kuningas]], which keeps an old sound shape,^(Kluge 2011|523)^(Pfeifer 1993) and the Slavic words for “prince”, such as [[ru|князь|tr=knjazʹ]], are explained as loans of it too.^(DWB|11, 1691)^(Wiktionary) A shorter form survives as the first part of compounds: [[m|goh|kunirīhhi|t=realm]] and Old English [[m|ang|cyne-|t=royal]].^(Kluge 2011|523)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ The suffix forms names of origin and belonging, so most explanations take the word in parallel to [[Edeling]] beside [[Adel]]: it would be derived from a word meaning “noble kin”, from the root [[ine-pro|*ǵenh₁-|t=to beget]].^(Kluge 2011|523) Pfeifer and the Duden derive it from [[gem-pro|*kunją|t=kin, family]] ([[got|𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌹|tr=kuni]], [[m|goh|kunni]], [[m|ang|cynn]]), so that the king was originally “the man of a noble family”, distinguished by his descent.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|473)^(Wiktionary) Kluge objects that this noun cannot be the base on formal grounds, since an n-stem or a consonant stem would be needed, and none is recorded.^(Kluge 2011|523) He therefore also considers Kahl's link with the root “to know”, [[ine-pro|*ǵnō-|t=to know]]: [[lt|žynys|alt=žynỹs]] “sorcerer, priest” shows a parallel, and the king would be “the one who has secret knowledge of the future”, which Kluge finds semantically appealing.^(Kluge 2011|523)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)

+

+ The modern vowel ⟨ö⟩ is Central German, against Middle High German ⟨ü⟩.^(Duden 7 2014|473)^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary) The ⟨n⟩ before ⟨g⟩ was lost early, as in [[Pfennig]] and [[Honig]].^(Duden 7 2014|473)^(Kluge 2011|523)^(DWB|11, 1691)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''kuning'' is recorded from 765 in the glosses, and then in the Isidor, the Hildebrandslied, the Tatian, Otfrid and Notker.^(Köbler AHD)^(EWA|5, 884)^(Schützeichel 2012|186) It means “ruler, lord, king”, and is used of God and of Christ, and as the name of the [[m|en|wren]].^(EWA|5, 884)^(Köbler AHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Pfeifer thinks the word first named the ruler of a small territory and people, and came to mean the holder of the highest dignity in a land only with the Frankish Merovingian kingdom and the later English and Scandinavian kingdoms.^(Pfeifer 1993) In Middle High German ''künec'' could still mean anyone of royal blood, such as a king's brother or son.^(Lexer 1872)

+

+ The title was also given to the head of a guild or company: Middle High German has a ''künec der wâpen'' (herald) and a king of the minstrels, and later German a ''Pfeiferkönig'' and a ''Seilerkönig''; [[Schützenkönig]] survives.^(Lexer 1872)^(Paul 2002) Paul sees in this the reason why ''König'' is so frequent as a surname.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary DE) It was transferred to animals in [[Zaunkönig]] “wren”, and generally to the first or best of a kind.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) The games took it over for the chief piece in chess, a playing card and the middle pin in skittles.^(EWA|5, 884)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ The adjective [[königlich]] goes back to Old High German ''kuninglīh''; beside it stood ''königisch'', still used by Goethe in 1796.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2014|473) [[Königtum]] first meant “kingdom” (Stieler, Steinbach), and was used in 1792 by Wieland for French ''royauté'' “kingship”.^(Paul 2002) The plant name [[Königskerze]] “mullein” is Early New High German, probably after the plant's tall, straight shape, like a burning candle.^(Duden 7 2014|473)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 765 – Old High German ''kuning'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 10th century – First record of Old High German ''kunirīhhi'' “kingdom”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 1060–1065 – Middle High German ''künic'' is used by Williram of Ebersberg.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 1393 – A “king of the minstrels” is recorded.^(Lexer 1872)

+ * 1792 – Wieland uses ''Königtum'' for French ''royauté''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1796 – Goethe still writes ''königisch gesinnt'' “royalist”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(no plural)'' The title of the highest secular ruler in certain [[m|en|monarchy|alt=monarchies]], or (in an empire) the second highest after the [[Kaiser]]: ''Carl Gustaf, König von Schweden''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[m|en|king]], the holder of this title: ''Der König hat abgedankt.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(figurative)'' The first or best of a kind: poetically ''der König der Tiere'' “the lion”, and ''der ungekrönte König'' “the uncrowned king”, the best in a field.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ # ''(chess)'' The king, the most important piece.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(card games)'' The king, the card ranking second.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(skittles)'' The pin standing in the middle.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(EWA|5, 884)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Königin]]

+ * [[königlich]]

+ * [[Königreich]]

+ * [[Königtum]]

+ * [[Zaunkönig]]

+ * [[Schützenkönig]]

+ * [[Königskerze]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Kind]]

+ * [[Kaiser]]

+ * [[en|king]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In Austria and southern Germany the final consonant is pronounced /k/, elsewhere /ç/.^(Wiktionary) The genitive is ''Königs'', older ''Königes''.^(Wiktionary) In Early New High German ''könig'' was also a popular reshaping of Latin [[m|la|cuniculus]] “rabbit”.^(FWB)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}