The Etymological Dictionary of the German Language[1] (German: Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache) is a reference book for the history of the German language,[2] and was one of the first books of its kind ever written. Originally written in 1883 by Friedrich Kluge, 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.
| Edition | Year | Editor | Pages | Word Count | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st. (early shipments began in 1881) | 1883 | Friedrich Kluge | 392 | 3900 | with vocabulary S. 395–428; |
| 2nd., unchanged reprint | 1883 | Friedrich Kluge | 392 | 3900 | with vocabulary S. 395–428; Digitalisat UB Regensburg, |
| 3rd., unchanged reprint | 1884 | Friedrich Kluge | 392 | 3900 | with vocabulary S. 395–428 |
| 4th., revised edition | 1889 | Friedrich Kluge | 405 | 3600 | with vocabulary S. 409–453;,,, |
| 5th., revised edition | 1894 | Friedrich Kluge | 425 | 3600 | with vocabulary S. 428–491;, |
| 6th., improved and enlarged edition | 1899 | Friedrich Kluge | 443 | 4700 | with vocabulary S. 428–491;,, 2. Abdruck 1905: |
| 7th., improved and enlarged edition | 1910 | Friedrich Kluge | 514 | 5200 | Digitalisat MDZ München, Repozytorium Cyfrowe Instytutów Naukowych |
| 8th., improved and enlarged edition | 1915 | Friedrich Kluge | 510 | 5300 | |
| 9th., revised edition | 1921 | Friedrich Kluge | 510 | 5300 | Digitized Taylor Institution Library |
| 10th., improved and enlarged edition | 1924 | Friedrich Kluge | 552 | 6200 | |
| 11th., revised edition | 1934 | Alfred Götze | 740 | 8300 | |
| 12th. and 13th., unchanged reprint | 1943 | Alfred Götze | 740 | 8300 | |
| 14th., unchanged reprint | 1948 | Alfred Götze | 740 | 8300 | |
| 15th., completely revised edition | 1951 | Alfred Schirmer | 933 | 9500 | |
| 16th., corrected edition | 1953 | Alfred Schirmer | 933 | 9500 | last edition to use the Fraktur font, a type of blackletter script. |
| 17th., revised edition | 1957 | Walther Mitzka | 900 | 8500 | |
| 18th., revised edition | 1960 | Walther Mitzka | 917 | 8700 | |
| 19th., revised edition | 1963 | Walther Mitzka | 917 | 8700 | |
| 20th., revised edition | 1967 | Walther Mitzka | 915 | 8600 | |
| 21st., unchanged reprint | 1975 | Walther Mitzka | 915 | 8600 | |
| 22nd., revised edition | 1989 | Elmar Seebold | 822 | ||
| 23rd., revised and expanded edition | 1995 | Elmar Seebold | 921 | a paperback version also became available in 1999 | |
| 24th., revised and expanded edition | 2002 | Elmar Seebold | 1023 | also available in CD ROM | |
| 25th., revised and expanded edition | 2011 | Elmar Seebold | 1021 |
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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.[4]
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: