Konzern German · revision 35834

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=early 20th century|origins=la cernō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /kɔnˈt͡sɛʁn/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Konzern''' ''m'' (genitive Konzernes or Konzerns, plural Konzerne)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|en|concern|t=business, firm; interest]], a noun from the English verb meaning “to relate to, affect”.^(Kluge 2011|530)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|467) The verb comes through [[fr|concerner|t=to concern]] from [[la-med|concernō|t=to regard, have to do with]], a compound of [[la|con-]] and [[m|la|cernō|t=to sift, distinguish]].^(Kluge 2011|530)^(Duden 7 2020|467) Pfeifer allows that English took it directly from Late Latin, where it meant “to mix”, and Duden explains the Medieval Latin verb as originally “to mix different things together”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|467) Before it meant a business, the English noun meant an affair, a relation or a business connection.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The same word is [[nl|concern]], [[sv|koncern]] and [[no|konsern]].^(Kluge 2011|530) Other German words of the same Latin verb are [[Dezernent]], [[Dekret]], [[diskret]] and [[Sekret]].^(Kluge 2011|530)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Pfeifer dates the borrowing to the beginning of the 20th century, and Paul notes that the Duden spelling dictionary first listed the word in 1915.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) From the first it meant a grouping of companies under central management.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word stayed a term of economics and law, for companies joined by shared capital or management into one economic unit while each remains legally independent.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden GWDS 1999) Compounds such as ''Konzernleitung'', ''Konzernspitze'' and ''Konzerntochter'' are common.^(Paul 2002) French borrowed the German word as ''konzern'' in 1924.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Early 20th century – ''Konzern'' is borrowed from English.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1915 – The Duden dictionary lists the word.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1924 – French takes it over as ''konzern''.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(economics)'' A [[m|en|group]] of companies that form one economic unit under joint management while each keeps its legal independence; a [[m|en|corporation]]: ''Der Konzern hat Werke in zwölf Ländern.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Konzernchef]]

+ * [[Konzernleitung]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Dezernent]]

+ * [[Dekret]]

+ * [[diskret]]

+ * [[Krise]]

+ * [[en|concern]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}