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-erweise. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-erweise, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-erweise in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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German
Alternative forms
Etymology
From the genitive feminine singular adjective ending -er and the feminine noun Weise. This was originally an adverbial genitive first used in Middle High German. For example, lustiger Weise → lustig + -erweise → lustigerweise. Adverbs formed this way represent univerbations of genitive absolute adjective-noun phrases.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-erweise
- Used to form adverbs from adjectives and participles; these adverbs are used to modify phrases or sentences. Cognate with English -wise.
- normal (“normal”) + -erweise → normalerweise (“normally”)
- traurig (“sad”) + -erweise → traurigerweise (“sadly”)
- lustig (“funny”) + -erweise → lustigerweise (“funnily”)
- gleich (“equal, alike”) + -erweise → gleicherweise (“likewise”)
Usage notes
- A normal German adverb, which modifies verbs, nouns, adjectives, or (other) adverbs, is identical to the basic form of the respective adjective. Only when an adverb refers to a whole phrase or sentence does it take the ending -erweise. The distinction may be semantic. Compare:
- Er kehrte traurig in seine Heimat zurück. (“He sadly returned to his homeland.”) (He felt sad as he returned to his homeland.)
- Er kehrte traurigerweise in seine Heimat zurück. (“Sadly, he returned to his homeland.”) (It is sad that he returned to his homeland.)
Derived terms
See also
References
- ^ Thorvaldsen, Trine (2023), “Die Etymologie und Morphologie des -(er)weise-Suffixes bzw. -Adverbs”, in Die -(er)weise-Adverbien im deutschen Mittelfeld. Eine syntaktisch-semantische Untersuchung der Adverbien mit dem Suffix -weise bzw. -erweise (Master's Thesis), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, archived from the original on 2024-01-25, pages 16–19
Further reading
- “-erweise” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache