Spaß German · revision 35958

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=16th century, as Spasso|origins=la pandō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ʃpaːs/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Regional: /ʃpas/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Spaß''' ''m'' (genitive Spaßes, plural Späße, diminutive Späßchen n or Späßlein n)^(Wiktionary)

+ Also written '''Spass''', and pronounced /ʃpas/ in some regions.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|it|spasso|t=amusement, pastime]], recorded first in the 16th century in the unadapted form [[Spasso]] and in its present form from the 17th.^(Kluge 2011|862)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|797) The Italian noun is formed from [[m|it|spassare|t=to divert, entertain]], which presupposes [[la-vul|*expassō]], an intensive of [[la|expandō|t=to spread out]]; the sense was “to while away the time”.^(Kluge 2011|862)^(Pfeifer 1993) The Latin verb is built from [[m|la|ex-|t=out]] and [[m|la|pandō|t=to stretch out, spread]].^(Duden 7 2020|797)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The same word is [[da|spas]] and [[no|spas]], and the Latin source is shared with [[passieren]].^(Kluge 2011|862)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Paul dates the borrowing to about 1600.^(Paul 2002) In the 17th century Stieler records ''seinen Spaß haben'' “to have one's fun” and ''es ist nur ein Spaß'' “it is only a joke”, so both main senses, amusement and jest, are present from the start.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ As the opposite of ''Ernst'' “seriousness” the word meant a joke, as in ''zum Spaß'' recorded by Kramer and ''Spaß treiben'' by Adelung, and also teasing, as in ''seinen Spaß mit jemandem treiben'' in Campe.^(Paul 2002) Litotes such as ''das ist kein Spaß'' mark something serious or unpleasant, and in the colloquial ''was kostet der Spaß?'' the word stands ironically for any costly undertaking.^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary) Goethe wrote ''Das Leben ist ein schlechter Spaß'' “life is a poor joke”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ At the end of the 20th century, probably under the influence of American English ''fun'', the sense “pleasure, amusement” spread widely as the goal of a way of life, criticised by sociologists, and gave compounds such as ''Spaßgesellschaft'' “fun society”, found in 1993.^(Paul 2002) Among the derivatives [[Spaßvogel]] dates from 1683, [[spaßen]] from the 18th century and [[spaßig]] from the early 18th, with an older ''spaßicht'' of the 17th.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) The word passed into West Slavic and Slovene: [[cs|špás]], [[sl|špas]] and Silesian ''szpas'' “joke”.^(Wiktionary)^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 16th century – First record in the Italian form ''Spasso''.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|797)

+ * c. 1600 – Paul's date for the borrowing.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 17th century – The form ''Spaß'' becomes established.^(Kluge 2011|862)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1683 – First record of ''Spaßvogel''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * Early 18th century – First record of ''spaßig''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – First record of ''spaßen''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1993 – ''Spaßgesellschaft'' appears in a newspaper.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|joke]] or prank, something said or done to make people laugh: ''Sie erzählte die Geschichte nur zum Spaß.'' Fixed phrases: ''Spaß beiseite'' “joking aside”, ''keinen Spaß verstehen'' “to have no sense of humour”, ''Spaß muss sein''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(no plural)'' [[m|en|fun]], enjoyment taken in an activity: ''Das Klettern macht den Kindern großen Spaß.'' ''Viel Spaß!''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial, ironic)'' A costly undertaking or transaction: ''Der Spaß hat uns dreihundert Euro gekostet.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[spaßen]]

+ * [[spaßig]]

+ * [[Spaßvogel]]

+ * [[Spaßmacher]]

+ * [[Spaßbremse]]

+ * [[bespaßen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[passieren]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}