The ''Etymological Dictionary of the German Language''
(german: Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache) is a reference book for the history of the German language,
and was one of the first books of its kind ever written. Originally written in 1883 by
Friedrich Kluge
Friedrich Kluge (21 June 1856 – 21 May 1926) was a German philologist and educator. He is known for the Kluge etymological dictionary of the German language (''Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache''), which was first published in 1 ...
, it is still actively maintained and considered a standard work among the German etymological dictionaries. The most recent publication was released in 2011 in print, eBook and as an Android app.
Editions and editors
History
From the 10th to the 13 editions, between 1924 and 1943, there was a dedication on the flyleaf that read: "To the German people its German dictionary."
In the 1980s, criticism grew about the state of the dictionary. It was argued that it had not been maintained with sufficient rigor and was partially outdated. One of the supporting arguments was that the 21st edition (1975) when compared to the previous edition had remained unchanged. As a result of this criticism a new editor for the dictionary was selected, Elmar Seebold.
[Oddvar Nes: ''Etymologiske ordbøker over germanske språk.'' In: Mål og Minne, 1 (1991), S. 19–56]
Influence
After the publication and success of the 1st edition in 1883, ''Etymological Dictionary of the German Language'' became a major source, reference and format guide for etymological dictionaries of other languages. Examples:
*
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
– ''Etymologisch Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal' (1892) by Johannes Franck
*
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...
– ''Etymologisk Ordbog over det norske og det danske sprog'' (1885) by Hjalmar Falk and Alf Torp
*
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
– ''Svensk etymologisk ordbok'' (1922) by Elof Hellquist
*
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
– ''An etymological dictionary of the English language'' (1893) by
Walter William Skeat
Walter William Skeat, (21 November 18356 October 1912) was a British philologist and Anglican deacon. The pre-eminent British philologist of his time, he was instrumental in developing the English language as a higher education subject in th ...
*
Danish – ''Dansk etymologisk ordbog'' by Niels Åge Nielsen
References
External links
* {{wikisource-inline, An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, single=true
1883 non-fiction books
German dictionaries