betreiben German · revision 36152

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1323, Middle Low German|origins=gem-pro *drībaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /bəˈtʁaɪ̯bən/, [bəˈtʁaɪ̯bən], [-bm̩]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''betreiben''' (class 1 strong, third-person singular present betreibt, past tense betrieb, past participle betrieben, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|gml|bedrīven|t=to graze cattle on; to carry on]], which is first recorded in Middle Low German and spread into High German in the 16th century, adapted as [[af|de|be-|treiben]].^(DWB2|4, 1118)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)^(Wiktionary) The base verb [[treiben]], [[gmh|trīben]], [[goh|trīban]], [[gem-pro|*drībaną]], is also in [[got|𐌳𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽|tr=dreiban]], [[non|drífa]] and [[ang|drīfan]], the ancestor of [[en|drive]].^(Kluge 2011|928) Outside Germanic, Kluge compares only [[lt|drìbti|t=to fall in flakes]], which would make a snowstorm the starting point of the sense.^(Kluge 2011|928) The same verb is [[nl|bedrijven]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB|1, 1711)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first records are Middle Low German, from 1323: ''bedriven'' meant to use a meadow or wood for grazing, to drive animals onto a pasture.^(DWB2|4, 1118) In 1549 the Brandenburg estates complained of a captain who grazed their heath ''mit seinem viech und schaeffen zu betreiben''.^(DWB2|4, 1118)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense of the simple verb, “to occupy oneself with something”, became the main sense of the prefixed verb: to pursue a business, trade or study.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) Adelung gives both the farming sense and ''einen Prozeß betreiben'', “to pursue a lawsuit actively”.^(Adelung 1793|1, 943) The pastoral sense lasted into the 19th century and is now only dialectal in eastern Lower Saxony.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ Schiller used it for collecting money, and the Swiss legal sense “to dun a debtor” continues this.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The technical sense, to run a machine or plant by some source of power, dates from the second half of the 19th century.^(Pfeifer 1993) The noun [[Betrieb]] came from Middle Low German ''bedrīf'' around 1600 and was assimilated to [[Trieb]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1323 – Middle Low German ''bedriven'' “to graze” is recorded.^(DWB2|4, 1118)

+ * 16th century – ''betreiben'' spreads into High German.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ * c. 1600 – The noun ''Betrieb'' comes into High German.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Second half of the 18th century – ''betriebsam'' is formed.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Second half of the 19th century – The technical sense “to drive, power” appears.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|pursue]], press forward with, work towards: ''Sie betrieb ihre Versetzung mit großem Eifer.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To practise or carry on, especially as an occupation: ''Er betreibt Landwirtschaft im Nebenerwerb.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|run]] or operate a business or establishment: ''Ihre Eltern betreiben eine Bäckerei.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(technology)'' To drive or power: ''Die Pumpe wird mit Solarstrom betrieben.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(Switzerland, law)'' To take legal steps to make a debtor pay.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Betreiber]]

+ * [[Betreibung]]

+ * [[Betrieb]]

+ * [[betriebsam]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[treiben]]

+ * [[Trieb]]

+ * [[nl|bedrijven]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Auf jemandes Betreiben (hin)'' means at someone's instigation.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}