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Friedrich Kluge

1856 – 1926

German philologist and educator

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About Friedrich Kluge

Lived 1856 – 1926 (aged 69). Friedrich Kluge was a German lexicographer, linguist, university teacher, philologist, scholar of English and germanist.

Friedrich Kluge (21 June 1856 – 21 May 1926) was a German philologist and educator. He is known for the Etymological Dictionary of the German Language , which was first published in 1883.

Biography Kluge was born in Cologne. He studied comparative linguistics and classical and modern philologies at the universities of Leipzig, Strasbourg and Freiburg. As a student, his instructors were August Leskien, Georg Curtius, Friedrich Zarncke and Rudolf Hildebrand at Leipzig and Heinrich Hübschmann, Bernhard ten Brink and Erich Schmidt at the University of Strasbourg.

He became a teacher of English and German philology at Strassburg (1880), an assistant professor of German at the University of Jena in 1884, a full professor in 1886, and in 1893 was appointed professor of German language and literature at Freiburg as a successor to Hermann Paul. is now known as Kluge's law.

He died in Freiburg, Germany.

Works

Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (1881; 10th edition, 1924; 25th edition, 2011). Stammbildungslehre der altgermanischen Dialekte (2d edition, 1899). Von Luther bis Lessing, sprachgeschichtliche Aufsätze (4th edition, 1904). Angelsächsisches Lesebuch (3d edition, 1902). Deutsche Studentensprache (1895). English Etymology, in collaboration with Frederick Lutz (1898). Rothwelsch, Quellen und Wortschatz der Gaunersprache (1901). Mittelenglisches Lesebuch, glossary by Arthur Kölbing (1904; 2d edition, 1912). For Hermann Paul's "Grundriss der germanischen Philologie" he wrote "Vorgeschichte der altgermanischen Dialekte" (1897) and "Geschichte der englischen Sprache" (1899). In 1900 he founded the journal "Zeitschrift für deutsche Wortforschung".

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Freiburg, Leipzig University, University of Strasbourg
Employers
University of Jena
Awards
Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art

People in Friedrich Kluge's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Friedrich Kluge's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Friedrich Kluge?

German philologist and educator (1856-1926)

When was Friedrich Kluge born?

Friedrich Kluge was born on 21 June 1856 in Cologne.

When did Friedrich Kluge die?

Friedrich Kluge died on 21 May 1926 in Freiburg im Breisgau.

What was Friedrich Kluge's occupation?

Friedrich Kluge was a lexicographer, linguist, university teacher, philologist, scholar of English and germanist.

What nationality was Friedrich Kluge?

Friedrich Kluge was German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Friedrich Kluge

· Wikidata: Q69352

· DBpedia: Friedrich Kluge

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Friedrich Kluge. https://biography.guide/friedrich-kluge/

MLA: "Friedrich Kluge." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/friedrich-kluge/.

Chicago: "Friedrich Kluge." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/friedrich-kluge/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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