Ball German · revision 36171

+ German has two nouns spelled ''Ball'': a native word for a round object, and a 17th-century loan from French for a dance.^(Kluge 2011|85)^(Kluge 2011|86)^(Duden 7 2020|124)

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+ {{homograph|1|ball, sphere}}

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

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /bal/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Ball''' ''m'' (genitive Balles or Balls, plural Bälle, diminutive Bällchen n)^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Etymology==

+ The round object is [[inh|gmh|bal]], [[inh|goh|bal]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*ballu]], [[inh|gem-pro|*balluz]].^(Kluge 2011|85)^(Wiktionary)^(Pfeifer 1993) The same word is [[non|bǫllr|t=ball]], [[nl|bal]] and [[sv|boll]], and [[ang|bealluc|t=testicle]] is a derivative.^(Kluge 2011|85)^(Kroonen 2013) Kluge counts [[en|ball]] among them, while Duden 7 takes it as a loan from [[fr|balle]].^(Kluge 2011|85)^(Duden 7 2020|123) Beside it stood a weak noun of the same meaning, [[m|goh|ballo]], [[m|gmh|balle]], which was set apart only in New High German as [[Ballen]]; weak forms of the strong noun survived in the oblique cases until about 1800.^(Kluge 2011|85)^(Pfeifer 1993) Kroonen takes the n-stem as the older formation, and the u-stem of the Nordic languages as split off from its accusative plural.^(Kroonen 2013)

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+ Outside Germanic the nearest match is [[la|follis|t=bellows, inflated ball]], beside [[grc|φαλλός|tr=phallós|t=penis]] and [[sga|ball|t=member]].^(Kluge 2011|85)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kroonen 2013) They are traced to [[ine-pro|*bʰel-|t=to swell, inflate]], so the word first meant “something blown up or swollen”;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|123) Kluge sees in the root a sound gesture for puffed cheeks.^(Kluge 2011|85) Through Lombard the Germanic word passed into [[it|palla]], whose augmentative is the source of [[Ballon]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(DWB2|4, 96)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first certain record is from the 9th century, an Old High German gloss ''pal'' for Latin ''pila'' “ball”, and Kluge mentions an uncertain one from the 8th century.^(Kluge 2011|85)^(AWB|1, 785)^(DWB2|4, 96) The word meant a ball or sphere, and also a lump or the ball of the hand.^(Köbler AHD) A 12th-century gloss explains it as the ''pila'' ''quo utuntur mulieres in ludo'', “which women use in play”, for at first the ball game was a pastime of women.^(Kluge 2011|85)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The game itself came from French with its name: a 13th-century poem, ''Athis und Prophilias'', says ''dit spil was geheizin bal in rōmischer zungin'', “this game was called ''bal'' in the Romance tongue”.^(Kluge 2011|85) It was first played with stuffed leather balls; hollow balls filled with air spread from northern Italy in the 15th century.^(Kluge 2011|85) Pfeifer dates ''Ballspiel'' to the 14th century, and a 13th-century manuscript already has Old High German ''slegibalspil''.^(Pfeifer 1993)

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+ The word was transferred to the earth as ''Erdball'', recorded by Stieler, and ''Spielball'' came to mean a person or thing tossed about by others.^(Paul 2002)^(DWB2|4, 96) In sport ''Ball'' also names the game itself in compounds such as [[Handball]] and [[Fußball]].^(Paul 2002)

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+ ==Timeline==

+ * 9th century – Old High German ''pal'' glosses Latin ''pila''.^(Kluge 2011|85)^(DWB2|4, 96)

+ * 11th century – The weak noun ''ballo'' is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 12th century – A gloss describes the ball as used by women at play.^(Kluge 2011|85)

+ * 13th century – ''Athis und Prophilias'' names the ball game as a French one.^(Kluge 2011|85)

+ * 14th century – ''Ballspiel'' is first recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 15th century – Air-filled balls spread from northern Italy.^(Kluge 2011|85)

+ * c. 1800 – Weak forms of ''Ball'' go out of use.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|ball]], a round object, usually filled with air and elastic, used as a toy or in [[m|en|sport]]: ''Die Kinder werfen sich den Ball zu.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) Idioms: ''am Ball bleiben'' “to keep at it”;^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''den Ball flach halten'' “to keep a low profile”, from football tactics.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(ball games)'' A shot, throw or kick, especially at goal: ''Die Torhüterin hielt jeden Ball.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(tennis, baseball)'' A [[m|en|point]].^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # A [[m|en|sphere]], a ball-shaped object: ''ein Ball aus Garn''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Fußball]]

+ * [[Handball]]

+ * [[Erdball]]

+ * [[Spielball]]

+ * [[Ballspiel]]

+ * [[Schneeball]]

+ * [[Federball]]

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+ {{homograph|2|dance}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1614|origins=la-lat ballō}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /bal/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Ball''' ''m'' (genitive Balles or Balls, plural Bälle)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The dance is [[bor|fr|bal]], borrowed in the 17th century.^(Kluge 2011|86)^(Duden 7 2020|124)^(DFWB) The French noun is formed to [[m|fro|baler|t=to dance]], from [[la-lat|ballō|t=to dance]].^(Kluge 2011|86)^(DFWB)^(Duden 7 2020|124) The Latin verb is compared with [[grc|βαλλίζω|tr=ballízō|t=to dance, jump about]], but Kluge finds a loan from Greek hard to accept because the stems are formed differently;^(Kluge 2011|86) Duden 7 and the DFWB trace it through the Greek verb to [[m|grc|βάλλω|tr=bállō|t=to throw]].^(Duden 7 2020|124)^(DFWB) The same loan is [[nl|bal]], [[en|ball]], [[sv|bal]] and [[is|ball]].^(Kluge 2011|86) The Grimms' dictionary already held it to be unrelated to the native word for a sphere.^(DWB|1, 1091)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record is a report from Paris of 1614: ''Allhie ist ein stattlich Ballen oder Dantz gehalten worden'', “here a stately ball or dance has been held”.^(DFWB)^(DWB2|4, 101) The word is found now and then from the early 17th century and continuously from the late 17th.^(DFWB)

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+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ At first it was often used of French conditions, for a formal dance at court or in high society, with its etiquette, its full dress or masks.^(DFWB) Stieler gave it as a neuter noun to keep it apart from the native word, while Frisch already made it masculine.^(DWB|1, 1091) Until the 18th century French phrases were common and were partly translated, as ''Bal masqué'' by ''Maskenball'';^(DFWB) ''Bal paré'' “full-dress ball” is still used.^(DFWB) Adelung records ''den Ball eröffnen'' “to open the ball”, to dance the first dance.^(Paul 2002) Hungarian took the word as ''bál'' in 1651.^(LWP)

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+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1614 – First record, in a report from Paris.^(DFWB)

+ * 1651 – Hungarian ''bál'' is borrowed from German.^(LWP)

+ * Late 17th century – The word is in continuous use.^(DFWB)

+ * 18th century – French phrases give way to German compounds such as ''Maskenball''.^(DFWB)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|ball]], a large and usually festive [[m|en|dance]] event: ''Zum Ball der Feuerwehr kamen dreihundert Gäste.''^(Wiktionary)^(DFWB)

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+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Maskenball]]

+ * [[Ballsaal]]

+ * [[Ballkleid]]

+ * [[Abschlussball]]

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+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Ballen]]

+ * [[Ballon]]

+ * [[Ballett]]

+ * [[Ballade]]

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}