Re: [tied] Re: bildung

German <Bildung> "shaping", "forming" as used in the international
phrase "Bildungsroman" can, as Torsten said, be roughly approximated
by "building", but it is not a cognate thereof, as Abdullah implied.
According to AHD, <Bildung> is from MHG <bildunge> from OHG
<bildunga> from <bilodi> "form", "shape".
From Buck's "Synonyms" "prob. der. of an adj. *bil- 'fitting,
becoming', seen also in 'billig' "cheap". Elsewhere Buck relates this
to various words in other languages including Greek <philos>, but if
there's a postulated I.-E. root, I haven't found it in the obvious
references.
Dan

_______________________

 

And perhaps "chesschance" should be reminded that English <build> comes from Old English <byldan> "to build" (also <bytlan>) derived from the word <bold>, also <botl> "dwelling, house, mansion, hall", Germanic *buTlam (*Tl > /tl/ in OE after short vowels, or alternatively was metathesized to *lT > *lD > /ld/) from the IE *bhu:- root (in OE <bu:an> "dwell, inhabit, farm, cultivate", <be:on> "be").  Thus completely unrelated to German <Bild>, <bilden>.

Andrew