antreten German · revision 36199

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=13th century|origins=gmw-pro *tredan}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈanˌtʁeːtən/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''antreten''' (class 5 strong, third-person singular present tritt an, past tense trat an, past participle angetreten, past subjunctive träte an, auxiliary haben or sein)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|anetreten|t=to begin; fall due]], a compound of the particle [[an]] and the verb meaning “to tread”.^(DWB2|3, 44)^(Köbler MHD)^(Wiktionary DE)^(Kluge 2011|929) That verb is [[goh|tretan]], from [[gmw-pro|*tredan]], a strong verb also found in [[ang|tredan]], the source of [[en|tread]], and in [[ofs|treda]].^(Kluge 2011|929)^(Pfeifer 1993) Beside it stands a form with another vowel, [[gem-pro|*trudaną]], in [[got|𐍄𐍂𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽|tr=trudan]] and [[non|troða]].^(Kluge 2011|929)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) Kluge finds no exact comparison outside Germanic and takes the verb to be originally imitative, like [[trappen]] and [[trampeln]].^(Kluge 2011|929) Pfeifer suggests instead a participle [[ine-pro|*druto-]] of a root [[ine-pro|*dreu-|t=to run, tread]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In Middle High German the verb is intransitive and means “to begin”, of things in space and time: a 13th-century text on degrees of kinship, compared to the limbs of the body, says where each degree “tritt an”, and the early 14th-century ''Hester'' has “nû ist die zît an getreten” (“now the time has come”).^(DWB2|3, 44) Köbler adds the senses “to belong to, fall to someone” and “to fall due”, of a rent, from a charter of 1286.^(Köbler MHD)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The literal sense, stepping up to a place or a person, is recorded only from the 16th century.^(DWB2|3, 44) In that period it often meant to attack, “to step against” an enemy or a wild animal, as in Hans Sachs and Sebastian Franck.^(DWB|1, 505) Into the 19th century it could also mean to approach someone with a request, as in Lessing, Musäus and Kleist; this is now dated.^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|1, 505)

+

+ The intransitive sense “to take one's place” gave the military order ''Angetreten!'' (“fall in!”) and Goethe's line ''nach dem Gesetz, wonach du angetreten'' in ''Urworte''.^(Paul 2002) Transitive ''ein Amt, eine Reise, ein Erbe antreten'' “to take up, set out on, enter upon” is the modern main use.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002) Sport added the sense “to start a sprint”, and grammar speaks of a suffix that ''tritt an'' “is added”.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century – ''anetreten'' “to begin” is recorded.^(DWB2|3, 44)

+ * 1286 – A charter uses it of a rent falling due.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * c. 1480 – It means “to come into force”, of an ordinance.^(DWB2|3, 44)

+ * 16th century – The literal and combative senses appear.^(DWB2|3, 44)^(DWB|1, 505)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(with haben)'' To tread down and firm up soil: ''die Erde um den jungen Baum antreten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(with haben)'' To [[m|en|kick-start]] an engine: ''Er trat sein Moped an''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(sport, with sein)'' To begin a sprint.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''(with sein)'' To line up, fall in; to stand for a [[m|en|muster]]: ''Die Feuerwehr ist auf dem Hof angetreten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(sport, politics, with sein)'' To [[m|en|compete]], to stand: ''gegen jemanden antreten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(with sein)'' To report for something, to present oneself; to take up one's duties: ''Sie ist um sieben Uhr zur Schicht angetreten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(with haben)'' To set out on or begin something: ''eine lange Fahrt antreten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(with haben)'' To take over or [[m|en|succeed|alt=succeed to]]: ''die Nachfolge des Vaters antreten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(linguistics, with sein)'' To be added: an ending ''tritt an'' the stem.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Paul 2002)

+ # ''(elevated, with haben)'' To come upon, approach someone.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Antritt]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[treten]]

+ * [[Tritt]]

+ * [[en|tread]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}