wahrscheinlich German · revision 35878

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=calque|attested=mid-17th century|origins=la vērīsimilis}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /vaː(ɐ̯)ˈʃaɪ̯nlɪç/, /vaˈʃaɪ̯n(l)ɪç/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''wahrscheinlich''' (strong nominative masculine singular wahrscheinlicher, comparative wahrscheinlicher, superlative am wahrscheinlichsten)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[der|nl|waarschijnlijk|t=probable]], a loan translation taken into High German around the middle of the 17th century.^(DWB|27, 994)^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The Grimms' dictionary finds the formation first in Dutch, in Kilian's dictionary;^(DWB|27, 994)^(Kluge 2011|968) Kluge sees the German word as a rendering of [[la|vērīsimilis|t=like the truth, probable]], following the example of Dutch and of [[fr|vraisemblable]].^(DWB|27, 994)^(Kluge 2011|968) It is made of [[wahr]] “true”, the stem of [[scheinen]] “to seem” and [[m|de|-lich]].^(Wiktionary)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) Kluge counts it among the words in which the verb means mere appearance, with no certain reality behind it.^(Kluge 2011|799)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In the 16th century the notion was expressed as ''der Wahrheit gleich'' “equal to the truth”, and in the 17th and early 18th centuries ''der Wahrheit ähnlich'' “like the truth” was usual.^(DWB|27, 994) The Grimms found the oldest records of ''wahrscheinlich'' in Zesen, Thomasius, Bödiker and Morhof, and the dictionaries list it from Kramer on;^(DWB|27, 994) Stieler had only the noun ''Wahrscheinlichkeit'', as a word not yet fully at home.^(DWB|27, 994)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word first belonged to logic and philosophy: Thomasius wrote in 1688 that two contrary things cannot both be true but can both be probable, since probability lies between true and false.^(DWB|27, 994) In 1720 Christian Wolff explained it with dice: ''es sey wahrscheinlicher, dasz einer mit zwey würffeln 7 wirffet, als dasz er 12 wirffet'' “it is more probable that one throws 7 with two dice than 12”.^(DWB|27, 994) Adelung, around 1800, defines it as having some but not yet sufficient grounds for taking something as true, and no longer mentions the older expressions.^(Adelung 1793)^(DWB|27, 994) The Hungarian loan translation [[m|hu|valószínű]] “probable” is recorded from 1827.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 16th century – The notion is expressed as ''der Wahrheit gleich''.^(DWB|27, 994)

+ * Mid-17th century – ''wahrscheinlich'' passes from Dutch into High German.^(DWB|27, 994)

+ * 1688 – Thomasius discusses the probable as lying between the true and the false.^(DWB|27, 994)

+ * 1720 – Christian Wolff's dice example.^(DWB|27, 994)

+ * 1827 – Hungarian ''valószínű'' is recorded.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|likely]], [[m|en|probable]], to be assumed with fair certainty: ''Die wahrscheinliche Ursache war ein Kurzschluss.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|probably]]: ''Sie kommt wahrscheinlich erst am Montag.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Wahrscheinlichkeit]]

+ * [[unwahrscheinlich]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[wahr]]

+ * [[scheinen]]

+ * [[Schein]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}