An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Ding

by Friedrich Kluge

Ding, neuter, ‘thing, matter, transaction,’ from Middle High German and Old High German dinc(g), neuter, ‘thing, matter,’ properly ‘judicial proceeding, court-day’ (for a similar change of meaning compare Sache); the corresponding Scandinavian þing (thing), meaning ‘judicial transaction, court-day, court of justice,’ is well known. The Old Teutonic þing (Lombardic thinx) is therefore connected with the old mahal, maþl, as ‘assembly of the people’ (see Gemahl). In English the substantive (Anglo-Saxon þing, neuter, English thing) has essentially the Modern High German meaning; but the derivative þingan, ‘to make a treaty,’ þingian, ‘to settle, adjust,’ and þingung, ‘mediation,’ imply also ‘treaty, discussion.’ In Modern High German a remnant of the earlier meaning remained in dingen, from Middle High German ‘to hold a court, negotiate, make a treaty’ (whence Modern High German Bedingung, ‘stipulation’), and specially ‘to conclude a bargain, buy, hire’ (also generally ‘to talk,’ like Anglo-Saxon þingian, ‘to talk’); so, too, in vertheidigen, Dienstag. Hence the primary meaning of the substantive is ‘public transaction in the folk-moot,’ literally ‘term’; this is supported by Gothic þeihs, ‘time,’ from pre-Teutonic ténkos (equal to Latin tempus). The Aryan base of Lombardic thinx, Old High German ding, is tenkos. The Old Bulgarian tęza, feminine, ‘judicial transaction,’ is of Teutonic origin.