liefern German · revision 35635

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=14th century|origins=la līber}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈliːfɐn/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''liefern''' (third-person singular present liefert, past tense lieferte, past participle geliefert, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ Early forms vary: ''li(e)vern'', ''liebern'', and even ''lübern'', ''lüfern''; the spelling ''liefern'' prevails from the 16th century.^(DWB|12, 996)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|gml|lēveren|t=to deliver]], a term of the Hanseatic merchants, [[bor|fro|livrer|t=to hand over, deliver]], from [[la|līberō|t=to free, release]].^(Kluge 2011|577)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014|523) The Latin verb, from [[m|la|līber|t=free]], had developed in Medieval Latin the senses “to send away”, “to hand over, pay, supply”, used of dues, interest and prisoners.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|12, 996) Middle Dutch [[m|dum|lēveren]] has the same source, and the High German word came from the Low German trade language into the standard language.^(Kluge 2011|577)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2014) Wiktionary allows that [[m|gmh|lieveren]] may have been taken directly from Old French, but thinks its diphthong a hypercorrection, which points to a Low German model.^(Wiktionary) The same word is [[nl|leveren]], [[sv|leverera]] and [[fr|livrer]], and English [[m|en|deliver]] is related.^(Kluge 2011|577)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Middle Low German ''lēveren'' is recorded from the middle of the 14th century, and High German ''li(e)vern'' from about 1400;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|12, 996) Paul and the Grimms date it to the 14th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|12, 996) The earliest records are about natural dues owed to a lord, such as wheat and wine to be delivered on a fixed day.^(DWB|12, 996)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Early New High German dictionary records the senses “to deliver, hand over” (things), “to hand someone over” (also of Christ), “to provide and keep troops”, and the phrase ''jemandem eine Schlacht liefern'' “to give battle”.^(FWB) In modern use it also means “to produce, yield” (''das Land liefert Rohstoffe'') and, figuratively, “to provide” (a reason, a proof).^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ''geliefert sein'' “to be done for” is first recorded with Jean Paul (1798); it comes from a criminal handed over for punishment, short for “handed over to the executioner”.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2014) ''Lieferung'' (early 16th century) has also meant an instalment of a book published in parts since the 19th century: the first instalment of the Grimms' dictionary appeared in 1852.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) ''Lieferant'' (1712), with a Romance-looking suffix, won out over ''Lieferer'' (Stieler 1691).^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) The verb passed into Hungarian (''liferál'', 1835, ''liferáns'', 1790), Czech and Slovak (''lifrovat'', ''lifrovať'') and Polish (''liwerować'').^(LWP)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Mid-14th century – Middle Low German ''lēveren'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * c. 1400 – High German ''li(e)vern'' appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1483 – A Middle Rhenish legal record speaks of delivering wheat (''liebern'') to a lord.^(DWB|12, 996)

+ * Early 16th century – ''Lieferung'' “delivery” appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 16th century – The spelling ''liefern'' prevails.^(DWB|12, 996)

+ * 1691 – Stieler records ''Lieferer'' “supplier”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1712 – ''Lieferant'' “supplier” is recorded.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1798 – Jean Paul uses ''geliefert sein'' “to be done for”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|deliver]] goods that were ordered or bought: ''Wir liefern die Waschmaschine am Freitag.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|produce]], [[m|en|yield]]: ''Der Weinberg liefert gute Erträge.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To provide, furnish: ''einen Beweis liefern'', ''Stoff für Gerüchte liefern''; of a player or performer, to put on a performance: ''Die Torhüterin lieferte ein starkes Spiel.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(reflexive)'' ''sich etwas liefern'', to fight out: ''sich eine Schlacht'', ''ein Wortgefecht liefern''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' ''geliefert sein'', to be done for, ruined.^(Duden 7 2014)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[abliefern]]

+ * [[ausliefern]]

+ * [[beliefern]]

+ * [[überliefern]]

+ * [[Lieferung]]

+ * [[Lieferant]]

+ * [[Lieferer]]

+ * [[lieferbar]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Livree]]

+ * [[liberal]]

+ * [[en|deliver]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The Grimms list a separate, older ''liefern'' “to [[m|en|curdle]], coagulate”, a variant of ''libbern'', used mainly in the participle of blood: Luther speaks of ''geliefert blut'' “clotted blood” in his Table Talk.^(DWB|12, 996)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}