Sinn machen

Recorded use by intellectuals since the 1970s and earlier rare use by Goethe, Lessing, Luther, and others, including (Grimmsches Wörterbuch) "Petrus der maister Lampardus, der die sentencias machet, das ist das puch von hochen synnen zu teutsch." From Medieval Latin (scholasticism) "sententiam facere".[1]

Increasingly widespread use since the 1970s probably due to influence of the English expression make sense. So the German expression is probably an interesting example of a rare case of a combination of revived or resurrected old use and of loan translation.

• IPA^(key): /zɪn ˈmaxn̩/, /zɪn ˈmaxən/

Sinn machen (weak, third-person singular present macht Sinn, past tense machte Sinn, past participle Sinn gemacht, auxiliary haben)

1. (intransitive, colloquial) to make sense

   Synonyms: Sinn haben, Sinn ergeben, sinnvoll sein

This expression is widely erroneously[1] criticized and denounced as "incorrect German" and as a blatant anglicism by amateur language pundits,[2] but it is now widely used, and it has been listed in the Duden as a colloquialism for a while already.[3]

In fact, formal use is recorded sìnce the 1970s, and there is earlier rare use by Goethe, Lessing, Luther, and others.[1] The increasingly widespread use since the 1970s is probably due to influence of the English expression make sense. So the German expression is probably an interesting example of a rare case of a combination of revived or resurrected old use and of loan translation.