kauern
German
Etymology
Borrowed from Low German, eventually from Middle Low German kūren (“to lurk”, originally "to crouch, bend, sit hunched over"), whence also English cower, according to Pokorny, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to curve, bend”), see also Proto-Germanic *kuddô (“shell, pod”).[1]
Used in standard German since the 18th century, either directly from German Low German (then with an artificial adaptation of the vocalism) or through an East Central German dialect.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkaʊ̯ɐn/
Audio: (file)
Verb
kauern (weak, third-person singular present kauert, past tense kauerte, past participle gekauert, auxiliary haben)
Conjugation
Conjugation of kauern (weak, auxiliary haben)
| infinitive | kauern | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present participle | kauernd | ||||
| past participle | gekauert | ||||
| auxiliary | haben | ||||
| indicative | subjunctive | ||||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
| present | ich kaure ich kauere ich kauer |
wir kauern | i | ich kauere ich kaure |
wir kauern |
| du kauerst | ihr kauert | du kauerest du kaurest |
ihr kaueret ihr kauret | ||
| er kauert | sie kauern | er kauere er kaure |
sie kauern | ||
| preterite | ich kauerte | wir kauerten | ii | ich kauerte1 | wir kauerten1 |
| du kauertest | ihr kauertet | du kauertest1 | ihr kauertet1 | ||
| er kauerte | sie kauerten | er kauerte1 | sie kauerten1 | ||
| imperative | kaure (du) kauer (du) kauere (du) |
kauert (ihr) | |||
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Composed forms of kauern (weak, auxiliary haben)
Derived terms
- hinkauern
- niederkauern
- zusammenkauern
References
- ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) “393-98”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, pages 393-98