Finish

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The expression Finished off arose from the cry “even out!” (Completely out!), Which announced the police hour in southern Germany in the 15th century . The term was later given the general meaning end . Today it is only used in the phrase "finish off someone / something" (kill or destroy someone, put an end to something ).

The finishing off a synonym for the end of the day and as a sign of the closing of the city gates marked the day in some cities of the 15th century. In Nuremberg, Regensburg and some smaller cities at this time the length of a working day was based on the clear day , i.e. the time between sunrise and sunset. The working hours therefore varied between eight hours in December and sixteen hours in June. The end of the work was indicated by the ringing of bells . The beginning of the working day was also announced by a final bell (end of the night), after which the bells counted the hours of the working day, so they struck once an hour after sunrise. After the end of the clear day, the hours of the night were counted again starting from one .

literature

  • Finished off, mn . In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm : German Dictionary . Hirzel, Leipzig 1854–1961 ( woerterbuchnetz.de , University of Trier).
  • gar, garaus in Johann Andreas Schmeller: Volume 2 of Bavarian Dictionary: Collection of words and expressions that occur in the living dialects as well as in the older and oldest provincial literature of the Kingdom of Bavaria, especially its older lands, and in the Today's general German written language is either not used at all or not used in the same meanings. Cotta, 1828, p. 60. Online at Google Books

Web links

Wiktionary: Finishing off  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dictionary article of the Digital Dictionary of the German Language of the 20th Century , Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences .
  2. ^ Regensburg, 1498 - compare Grimm: German Dictionary
  3. ↑ Alfred Haverkamp, ​​Elisabeth Müller-Luckner: Information, Communication and Self-Presentation in Medieval Communities, Volume 40 of Writings of the Historical College, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 1998, page 248. Online at Google Books .
  4. ↑ Christoph Friedrich Nicolai: Description of a journey through Germany and Switzerland, in the year 1781, Volume 1. 1783, Page 111. Online at Google Books .
  5. ↑ Endres Tucher, Friedrich von Weech, Matthias Lexer (editor): Baumeisterbuch der Stadt Nürnberg (1464-1475), Volume 64 of the Library of the Literary Association in Stuttgart, Literarischer Verein, 1862, page 60. Online at Google Books .