gestalten German · revision 35832

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1537, Dasypodius}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɡəˈʃtaltən/, [ɡəˈʃtaltn̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''gestalten''' (third-person singular present gestaltet, past tense gestaltete, past participle gestaltet, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|de|Gestalt|-en]], formed in the 16th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|355)^(Wiktionary) The noun [[Gestalt]], [[gmh|gestalt|t=appearance, nature]], arose from the old past participle of [[stellen]], [[goh|gistalt]], which was used early as an adjective “shaped, made, of a certain kind”; the noun thus meant “what has been set or placed”.^(Kluge 2011|355)^(Duden 7 2020|321)^(Pfeifer 1993) In modern German that participle has been replaced by [[gestellt]], but it lives on in [[ungestalt]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|321)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Dasypodius's dictionary of 1537 explains ''gestalten'' with Latin ''figurare, formare, fingere'' “to shape, form, fashion”, and Maaler (1561) has it of birds building nests.^(DWB|5, 4190) The Early New High German dictionary gives the senses “to shape, form, give structure to; to plan” and, of people, “to form, train”.^(FWB)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ An early intransitive sense “to have a shape, appear” is listed by Henisch.^(DWB|5, 4190) From the 16th century it was also used figuratively of shaping manners and minds, and in Early New High German it could mean giving something the look of being lawful.^(DWB|5, 4190)^(FWB) Adelung (1793) still called the verb Upper German, with only the participle ''gestaltet'' in High German use, as in ''ein wohl gestalteter Mensch''.^(Adelung 1793) It became general in the literature of the late 18th century: Goethe wrote of a cloud ''sich gestaltend umgestaltet'', shaping and reshaping itself.^(DWB|5, 4190) Danish borrowed it as ''gestalte''.^(DWB|5, 4190) The noun [[Gestaltung]] “shaping, design” is also from the 16th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1537 – Dasypodius records ''gestalten'' “to shape, form”.^(DWB|5, 4190)

+ * 16th century – ''Gestaltung'' “shaping” is formed.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1793 – Adelung calls the verb Upper German.^(Adelung 1793)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To give something a certain [[m|en|form]] or appearance; to [[m|en|shape]], [[m|en|design]], arrange: ''Die Schüler gestalteten das Programm des Schulfests.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''sich gestalten'': to develop in a certain way, to turn out: ''Die Suche gestaltete sich mühsamer als gedacht.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Gestaltung]]

+ * [[Gestalter]]

+ * [[gestaltet]]

+ * [[mitgestalten]]

+ * [[umgestalten]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Gestalt]]

+ * [[stellen]]

+ * [[ungestalt]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}