vergessen German · revision 36166

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=9th century, Old High German|origins=gmw-pro *fragetan}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛsən/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''vergessen''' (class 5 strong, third-person singular present vergisst, past tense vergaß, past participle vergessen, past subjunctive vergäße, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|vergezzen]], [[inh|goh|firgezzan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*fragetan]].^(Kluge 2011|952)^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993) It is a West Germanic formation with the prefix [[ver-]], found also in [[osx|fargetan]], [[ang|forgietan]] and [[en|forget]].^(Kluge 2011|952)^(Pfeifer 1993) The base is a verb [[gem-pro|*getaną|t=to get, obtain]], recorded with other prefixes in [[got|𐌱𐌹𐌲𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽|tr=bigitan|t=to find]], [[m|ang|begietan]] and [[goh|bigezzan|t=to obtain, find]], and alone in [[non|geta|t=to get, reach]], the source of [[m|en|get]].^(Kluge 2011|952)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|897) Since the prefix reverses the sense, the verb first meant “to lose (from one's mind)”.^(Kluge 2011|952)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ Outside Germanic, Pfeifer and Duden 7 compare [[la|prehendō|t=to seize]] and [[m|la|praeda|t=booty]], and [[grc|χανδάνω|tr=khandánō|t=to hold, contain]], and set up a root [[ine-pro|*gʰed-|t=to seize, grasp]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|897) Kluge thinks it is probably the root that appears with a nasal in [[beginnen]].^(Kluge 2011|952) Old High German also had [[m|goh|irgezzan|t=to forget]], whose causative is the source of [[ergötzen]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|897)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Kluge dates ''firgezzan'' to the 9th century and the variant ''irgezzan'' to the 8th.^(Kluge 2011|952) Köbler records ''firgezzan'' in Notker, about 1000, and in Williram, meaning “to forget”.^(Köbler AHD) Middle High German ''vergezzen'' meant “to lose from one's thoughts” and, reflexively, “to fall into oblivion”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The verb originally took the genitive, as still in Lessing's ''Sie vergessen Ihrer Blessuren'' and Hölty's ''Und des Harms vergessen!'' “and forget sorrow”; the accusative, found now and then in Luther, became usual in the 18th century, and the genitive remains in [[Vergissmeinnicht]].^(Paul 2002) It is used both for losing something from memory altogether and for not thinking of it at the right time, as in leaving an object behind.^(Paul 2002) In southern Germany and especially Austria people say colloquially ''auf etwas vergessen''.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The reflexive ''sich vergessen'' means “to lose one's self-control”.^(Paul 2002)^(Pfeifer 1993) Regional ''ich bin's vergessen'' for ''ich habe es vergessen'' is a trace of the verb's older intransitive use.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Derivatives are ''Vergessenheit'', Middle High German ''vergezzenheit'', and ''vergesslich'', whose shorter form dates from the 15th century, with ''Vergesslichkeit'' from the 16th.^(Duden 7 2020|897)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''irgezzan'' is recorded.^(Kluge 2011|952)

+ * 9th century – ''firgezzan'' is first recorded.^(Kluge 2011|952)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * c. 1000 – Notker uses ''firgezzan''.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 15th century – The short form ''vergesslich'' appears.^(Duden 7 2020|897)

+ * 18th century – The accusative object becomes usual instead of the genitive.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|forget]], to lose from memory; to be unable to remember: ''Ich habe ihre Telefonnummer vergessen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To stop thinking of someone or something; to fail to do something: ''Er hat vergessen, die Blumen zu gießen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|leave]] something behind by mistake: ''Sie hat ihre Handschuhe im Bus vergessen.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(reflexive)'' ''sich vergessen'': to lose one's self-control.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''(southern Germany, Austria)'' ''auf etwas vergessen'': not to think of something.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' ''Das kannst du vergessen'': that is no longer relevant; it won't happen.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|forgotten]]: ''ein vergessener Maler''.^(Wiktionary)^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Vergessenheit]]

+ * [[vergesslich]]

+ * [[Vergesslichkeit]]

+ * [[unvergesslich]]

+ * [[Vergissmeinnicht]]

+ * [[selbstvergessen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ergötzen]]

+ * [[en|forget]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}