unterwegs German · revision 36113

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=11th century (as underwegen); unterwegs from the 18th century}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ʊntərˈveːks/, [ˌʔʊn.tɐˈveːks], [-ˈʋeːks]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''unterwegs'''^(Wiktionary)

+ In the 16th and 17th centuries ''underweg'' and ''underwegens'' were used beside ''underwegen''.^(Paul 2002) ''unterwegs'' spread gradually from the 18th century;^(Paul 2002) Adelung (1780) wrote ''unterweges'' and thought it better written separately.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|underwegen]], [[inh|goh|untar wegun]], a phrase of [[unter]] “between, among” and the dative plural of [[Weg]] “way”, literally “between the ways, on the ways”.^(Kluge 2011|944)^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary) The adverbial [[-s]] was added later, after the pattern of adverbial genitives.^(Kluge 2011|944)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The same phrase is [[gml|underwegen]], [[dum|onderwegen]] and [[nl|onderweg]];^(Kluge 2011|944)^(DWB|24, 1887) compare [[en|underway]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Kluge dates the phrase to the 11th century, in the Old High German form ''untar wegun''.^(Kluge 2011|944)^(Paul 2002) The Grimms' dictionary explains it as Latin ''inter vias'' “between the roads”, and quotes the variants ''unter dem wege'' and ''zwischen wegen''.^(DWB|24, 1887)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the 16th century a singular form ''unterweg'', ''-wege'' (Latin ''inter viam'', ''per viam'') appeared, less often than the plural; the adverbial ''s'' attached itself to the phrase in the 18th century, while it was still often written separately.^(DWB|24, 1887)^(Paul 2002) Besides “on the way”, the adverb came to mean “travelling, on a journey” and “out of the house, out and about”.^(Duden GWDS 1999) In colloquial German a child ''unterwegs'' is a baby on the way.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 11th century – Old High German ''untar wegun'' “on the way”.^(Kluge 2011|944)

+ * 16th–17th century – ''underweg'' and ''underwegens'' beside ''underwegen''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 1780 – Adelung records ''unterweges''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 18th century – The form ''unterwegs'' spreads.^(Kluge 2011|944)^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # On the way somewhere, en [[m|en|route]], in [[m|en|transit]]: ''Das Paket ist schon unterwegs.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' In ''ein Kind ist unterwegs'': a baby is on the way.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # [[m|en|travelling]], on a journey: ''Wir waren drei Wochen in Norwegen unterwegs.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Out, outdoors, about town: ''Am Samstagabend war halb Köln unterwegs.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Weg]]

+ * [[unter]]

+ * [[en|underway]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}