Sicht German · revision 35642

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=9th century, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *sehwaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /zɪçt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Sicht''' ''f'' (genitive Sicht, plural Sichten)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|siht]], [[inh|goh|siht|t=sight, appearance]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*sihti|t=seeing, sight]], an abstract noun formed from the verb [[gem-pro|*sehwaną|t=to see]] (see [[sehen]]).^(Kluge 2011|847)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary)^(EWA|7, 1208) The same noun is [[gml|sicht]], [[dum|sicht]], [[nl|zicht]] and the element [[ang|-siht]] in compounds, and [[en|sight]] is related.^(Kluge 2011|847)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|780) The Grimms point out that the bare noun is rare outside German: the English word goes back to [[m|ang|gesiht]], and [[m|ang|sihþ]] is found only once.^(DWB|16, 737) The EWA likewise suspects that the isolated forms in the other Germanic languages were shortened from prefixed ones, as the suffix [[ine-pro|*-tis]] prefers compounds.^(EWA|7, 1208)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''siht'' is found in the Abrogans and in a single gloss of the end of the 9th century, meaning “appearance, vision” (Latin ''species'', ''visio'').^(EWA|7, 1208)^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|280) Middle High German ''siht'' meant the act of seeing and the sight of something, and seems to have been mainly Central German.^(Lexer 1872|2, 919)^(DWB|16, 737)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ As a free word ''Sicht'' long had a small range: the older dictionaries do not list it, and Frisch notes that it is mostly used in compounds such as [[Absicht]], [[Ansicht]] and [[Aussicht]].^(DWB|16, 737)^(Paul 2002) Two special uses brought it back.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) In the trade language of the Hanseatic League, Middle Low German phrases such as ''up sicht'' (16th century) translated Italian ''a vista'' and meant “on presentation” of a bill of exchange; from this came the sense “term of a bill” (17th century) and the phrases ''auf lange, auf kurze Sicht'' “in the long, short term”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020|780) Adelung (1793) knows the word only in this commercial use.^(Adelung 1793|4, 80) In the Low German language of seamen ''sicht'' meant “range of vision” (15th century), and in the 19th century this passed into the general language: ''in Sicht'', ''außer Sicht'', ''gute Sicht''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020|780) The figurative sense “way of looking at something, point of view” (''aus meiner Sicht'') is more recent.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

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+ German ''Sicht'' was borrowed into [[da|sigt]] and [[sv|sikt]].^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Timeline==

+ * End of the 9th century – Old High German ''siht'' is recorded in a gloss.^(EWA|7, 1208)^(Kluge 2011|847)

+ * 15th century – Middle Low German ''sicht'' is used by seamen for the range of vision, and Hanseatic merchants pay bills ''na gesichtes''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|780)

+ * 16th century – ''nach Sicht des Wechselbrieffs'' appears in High German.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 17th century – ''auf lange, auf kurze Sicht'' is used of the term of a bill.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 19th century – The seamen's sense “visibility” enters the literary language.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|visibility]]: the possibility of seeing into the distance, a clear view: ''Bei Nebel hat man auf der Autobahn kaum Sicht.'' ''Der neue Zaun nimmt uns die Sicht auf den See.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Range of vision: ''in Sicht'', ''außer Sicht'': ''Land in Sicht!''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A way of seeing something, a [[m|en|point of view]]: ''Aus meiner Sicht war die Entscheidung richtig.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(commerce)'' Presentation of a bill of exchange: ''zahlbar bei Sicht''; hence ''auf lange, kurze Sicht'' “in the long, short term”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sichten]]

+ * [[besichtigen]]

+ * [[sichtbar]]

+ * [[sichtlich]]

+ * [[Absicht]]

+ * [[Ansicht]]

+ * [[Aussicht]]

+ * [[Rücksicht]]

+ * [[Vorsicht]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sehen]]

+ * [[Gesicht]]

+ * [[en|sight]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}