reagieren German · revision 35615

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=borrowing|attested=18th century, chemistry|origins=la agō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ʁeaˈɡiːʁən/, [ʁeaˈɡiːɐ̯n]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''reagieren''' (third-person singular present reagiert, past tense reagierte, past participle reagiert, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la-lat|reagō|t=to drive back]], which meant “to act against” in the Middle Ages, and was taken into the language of chemistry in the 18th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DFWB)^(Wiktionary) The Latin verb is formed from [[m|la|re-|t=back]] and [[m|la|agō|t=to drive, act, do]] (see [[agieren]]).^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) Kluge and the Duden Herkunftswörterbuch describe it instead as a learned new formation in German from the Latin elements.^(Kluge 2011|750)^(Duden 7 2020|677) The same verb is [[nl|reageren]], [[en|react]], [[fr|réagir]] and [[sv|reagera]].^(Kluge 2011|750)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The verb is first found in the chemical language of the 18th century, meaning “to undergo, cause or show a chemical change”.^(DFWB)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) The earliest quotation in the Deutsches Fremdwörterbuch, from a medical text of 1795, already uses it of organs that “react together” when another organ is irritated.^(DFWB)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Toward the end of the 18th century the word passed from chemistry into medicine and biology, of living organisms that respond to a stimulus.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DFWB) Paul dates this to 1795.^(Paul 2002) In the early 19th century it came into general use, at first mostly with ''gegen'', meaning “to work against, oppose” (''Das Herz reagierte gegen den Skeptizismus'', 1836); today it usually takes ''auf'' and means to respond to something, mostly of people, and colloquially ''sauer reagieren'' is to react with annoyance.^(DFWB)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ [[abreagieren]], to work off pent-up feelings, appeared at the end of the 19th century;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) Paul's first record is from 1912.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) [[Reagens]] “a reagent” dates from the second half of the 18th century and [[Reagenz]] from the middle of the 19th.^(Pfeifer 1993) The noun [[Reaktion]] was formed in the later 18th century under French influence, and around 1820 it became a political catchword for the forces opposed to progress.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020|677) [[Reaktor]] was taken over from American English in the middle of the 20th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 18th century – ''reagieren'' is used in chemistry.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DFWB)

+ * 1795 – First record in medicine, of organs responding to a stimulus.^(DFWB)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1836 – First record of the general sense “to work against”.^(Paul 2002)^(DFWB)

+ * Second half of the 18th century – ''Reagens'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1912 – First record of ''abreagieren''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * Mid-20th century – ''Reaktor'' is borrowed from American English.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|react]], to [[m|en|respond]] (to a stimulus, an event, a remark), usually with ''auf'': ''Der Hund reagiert nicht auf seinen Namen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(chemistry)'' To undergo a chemical reaction, to act on another substance: ''Natrium reagiert heftig mit Wasser.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Reagens]]

+ * [[Reagenz]]

+ * [[abreagieren]]

+ * [[Reaktion]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[agieren]]

+ * [[Reaktor]]

+ * [[reaktionär]]

+ * [[en|react]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}