sehr German · revision 35754

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=9th century, Otfrid|origins=gem-pro *sairaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /zeːr/, [zeːɐ̯], /seːɐ̯/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Germany: [zɛɐ̯]^(Wiktionary)

+ * Austria, Southern-Germany, Switzerland: [-ɛɐ̯]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sehr''' (comparative mehr, superlative am meisten)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|sēre]], [[inh|goh|sēro|t=painfully]], the adverb of the adjective [[goh|sēr|t=sad, painful]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*sair]], [[inh|gem-pro|*sairaz|t=sore, painful]].^(Kluge 2011|839)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same adjective is [[non|sárr]], [[ang|sār]], [[ofs|sēr]] and [[osx|sēr]], and [[en|sore]] and [[nl|zeer]] continue it;^(Kluge 2011|839)^(Pfeifer 1993) Old English also had the adverb [[m|ang|sāre]].^(Kluge 2011|839)^(Pfeifer 1993) Beside it stood a noun “wound, pain”, as in [[got|𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍂|tr=sair|t=pain]], which had the same form as the adjective in Old High German, Middle High German and Old English.^(Kluge 2011|839)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|771)

+

+ Kluge connects the adjective with a root [[ine-pro|*sai-]] of western and northern Europe, from which come with other suffixes [[sga|sáeth|t=trouble, pain, illness]], [[la|saevus|t=raging, fierce]] and [[lv|sīvs|t=sharp, cruel]].^(Kluge 2011|839) Pfeifer sets up the root [[m|ine-pro|*sāi-|t=pain, illness, to hurt]], from which the Germanic word is formed with an r-suffix.^(Pfeifer 1993) The Duden dictionary calls the link with Latin and Old Irish probable.^(Duden 7 2020|771)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''sēro'' is recorded from the 9th century, in Otfrid and in the Paris conversations, meaning “sadly, painfully, hard”;^(Schützeichel 2012|278)^(Pfeifer 1993) Schützeichel also gives “very”.^(Schützeichel 2012|278)^(Pfeifer 1993) The Grimms note that Otfrid and the Old Saxon ''Heliand'' still use it only in the old concrete sense “painfully, grievously”.^(DWB|16, 160) The adjective ''sēr'' appears in the Old Alemannic Psalm fragments of the first half of the 9th century.^(Köbler AHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Already in Middle High German the adverb was used to mark a high degree, so that ''sēre wunt'' meant “very much wounded” rather than only “painfully wounded”.^(Duden 7 2020|771)^(Kluge 2011|839) Paul describes the weakening from “painfully” to a general intensifier, at first only with verbs and later also with adjectives and adverbs, where it replaced the older [[viel]].^(Paul 2002) Matthias Kramer still gave a comparative ''sehrer'' and a superlative ''am sehrsten''; since then ''mehr'' and ''am meisten'' have served instead.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ The adjective and the noun died out in the standard language, but the adjective lives on in dialects in the sense “sore, chafed”, and the old meaning survives in the verb [[versehren]] “to injure”.^(DWB|16, 163)^(Kluge 2011|839)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * First half of the 9th century – The Old High German adjective ''sēr'' appears in the Old Alemannic Psalm fragments.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 9th century – Otfrid uses the adverb ''sēro'' in the sense “painfully”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|16, 160)

+ * Middle High German – ''sēre'' is used as an intensifier.^(Kluge 2011|839)^(Duden 7 2020|771)

+ * 1528 – The adjective ''sehr'' “sore” in a surgical handbook by Gersdorf.^(DWB|16, 163)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Very, to a high degree, with adjectives and adverbs: ''Das Wasser ist heute sehr kalt.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Much, greatly, with verbs: ''Wir haben uns sehr über das Geschenk gefreut.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # In set phrases of thanks and politeness: ''danke sehr'', ''bitte sehr'', and in letters ''Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[versehren]]

+ * [[en|sore]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Upper German speech does not use intensifying ''sehr'' much; it says [[arg]], [[gar]] or [[recht]] instead, and Austrian German especially ''gar''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}