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Encyclopedia > List of English words of Dutch origin

This is a list of words of Dutch language origin. However, note that this list does also include some words of which the etymology is uncertain, and that some may have been derived from Middle Low German equivalents instead or as well. Some of these words, such as cookie and boss and aardvark, are without a doubt of Dutch origin. But, many of these words are similar not because they are Dutch loan words, but because English, like Dutch, is a Germanic language. Some of these words lack a counterpart in modern Dutch, having been lost since the time it was borrowed. Dutch (  ) is a West Germanic language spoken by around 23 million people, mainly in the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname, but also by smaller groups of speakers in parts of France, Germany and several former Dutch colonies. ... The Middle Low German language is an ancestor of the modern Low German language, and was spoken from about 1100 to 1500. ...

  • literally: the literal meaning of the Dutch word (the actual meaning is similar to the English one)
  • originally: the word originally had the meaning specified, but is in Dutch also used with the same meaning as in English

Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


A

Aardvark 
from aardvarken (via Afrikaans) (=literally "earth pig") [1]
Ahoy 
from hoi (="hello")
Apartheid 
from apartheid (via Afrikaans) (="separateness") (meaning: racial segregation) [2]
Avast 
from houvast (="holdfast, support") [3]

Binomial name (Pallas, 1766) Aardvark range map The Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) (Digging foot), sometimes called antbear[1] is a medium-sized mammal native to Africa. ... Look up Wiktionary:Swadesh lists for Afrikaans and Dutch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... Look up Wiktionary:Swadesh lists for Afrikaans and Dutch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

B

Bantam 
from Bantam, Java [4]
Beaker 
from beker [5] (="mug, cup")
Beleaguer 
from belegeren (="besiege, attack with an army") [6]
Blare, to blare 
possibly from blèren [7] (="to scream, to shout, to cry loudly" it's slang)
to bluff 
from bluffen (="to bluff") [8]
Boom 
from boom (="tree"); cognate to English "beam", German "baum"[9]
Boomslang 
via Afrikaans from boomslang (="tree snake")
Booze 
from Middle Dutch busen (="to drink in exess"). [10] According to JW de Vries busen is equivalent to buizen. [1]
Boss 
from baas [11]
Bow 
front of a ship from boeg [12]
Brandy (wine) 
from brandewijn (literally "burnt wine") [13]
Brawl 
from brallen [14]
Brooklyn 
called after the town of Breukelen near Utrecht [15]
Bulwark 
from bolwerk [16]
Bundle 
from bundel [17]
Bumpkin
from bommekijn (="little barrel") [18]
Buoy 
from boei (="shackle" or "buoy") [19]

Bantam may mean: American Bantam, a series of compact cars produced between 1937 and 1941 Bantam (chicken), a small (or miniaturized) domestic fowl Bantam (military), British Army jargon (First World War) for men below the minimum height for enlistment X-4 Bantam, a US test aircraft Bantam (city), a city... The city of Bantam near the western end of Java was a strategically important site and formerly a major trading city, with a secure harbor on the Malacca Strait through which all ocean-going traffic passed, at the mouth of a river (Cibantam River) that provided a navigable passage for... Illustration of a Beaker A beaker is a type of laboratory glassware which consists of a cylindrical cup with a notch on the top to allow for the pouring of liquids. ... In sailing, a boom is a spar (pole) usually made of aluminum or wood, is connected to the foot of the mainsail and allows the crew to control the angle of the sail to the wind. ... Binomial name Dispholidus typus (Smith, 1829) A boomslang, Dispholidus typus is a large, venomous colubrid snake native to sub-Saharan Africa. ... Look up Wiktionary:Swadesh lists for Afrikaans and Dutch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Alcoholic beverages are drinks containing ethanol, popularly called alcohol. ... A typical compact effects pedal. ... Bow of the Cruise ship Spirit of Endeavour The bows of lifeboat 17-31 (Severn class) in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England The bow (pronounced to rhyme with how) is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is... For other uses, see Brandy (disambiguation). ... Brawling (probably connected with Ger. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... Breukelen is a municipality and town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. ... Look up Bulwark in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Bundle may be: a mathematical term referring to generalization of a fiber bundle dropping the condition of a local product structure. ... A sea lion on navigational buoy #14 in San Diego Harbor Green can #11 near the mouth of the Saugatuck river. ...

C

Caboose 
from kambuis or kombuis (="ship's kitchen", "galley") [20]
Clove (disambiguation) 
from kloof [1] (="steep valley", "gorge")
Cockatoo 
from kaketoe [21]
Coleslaw 
from koolsla [22]
Cookie 
from koekje, or in informal Dutch koekie [23] (="biscuit", "cookie" (the one you can eat))
Coney Island 
from Conyne Eylandt (=literally "Rabbits' Island")
Crimp 
from krimpen, or to shrink [1]
Cruise 
from (door)kruisen (="to cross paths or to cross") [24]
Cruller 
from Dutch krullen "to curl" [25]

A Burlington Northern Railroad extended vision caboose at the end of a train entering Eola Yard, Aurora, Illinois, in 1993. ... Look up clove in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the family of birds. ... A bowl of coleslaw Coleslaw (or cole slaw) is a salad consisting primarily and minimally of shredded, raw, white cabbage, although it often also includes shredded carrots. ... This article is about the food. ... For other uses, see Coney Island (disambiguation). ... Crimp or crimping can mean: Crimp (gambling) Crimp (wool) Crimp (joining) Crimp (recruitment) Crimp (climbing) Grain crimping Hair crimping Crimping Pliers This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Cruise may refer to Cruise, a distinct stage of an aircrafts flight Cruising, living on the boat and traveling for extended periods of time Tom Cruise, an American film actor and producer Cruise missile, a guided missile e. ... Chocolate covered French cruller A cruller (or Twister) is a type of doughnut. ...

D

Dam 
from Middle Dutch dam (compare Amsterdam or Rotterdam)[26]
Dapper 
from dapper (brave) [27]
Deck 
from dek ="covering" (entered English as "the cover over a ship's hold") [28]
Decoy 
from de kooi="the cage" [29]
Delftware 
porcelaine from the city Delft [30]
Dike 
from dijk ="embankment" [31]
Dock (maritime) 
possibly from Middle Dutch dok [32]
Dope 
old meaning: sauce, now drugs, comes from the Dutch verb (in)dopen [33]
Drill (verb) 
from Middle Dutch dril, drille and in modern Dutch drillen [34]

This article is about structures for water impoundment. ... Look up deck in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Delftware panel. ... Afsluitdijk, a 32 km dike in the Netherlands. ... A dock is an area of water between two piers or alongside a pier, forming a chamber used for building or repairing one ship. ... Look up dope in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Drill (disambiguation). ...

E

Easel 
from ezel (=originally "donkey") [35]
Etch 
from ets or etsen (to etch) [36]

Two examples of H-frame easels. ... Etching is an intaglio method of printmaking in which the image is incised into the surface of a metal plate using an acid. ...

F

Filibuster 
from Spanish filibustero from French flibustier ultimately from Dutch vrijbuiter (="pirate" or "freebooter") [37]
Forlorn hope 
from verloren hoop (literally "lost troop", figuratively "suicide squad") [38]
Freebooter 
from vrijbuiter [39]
Freight 
from vracht [40]
Frolic 
from vrolijk (="cheerful") [41]
Furlough 
from verlof (="permission (to leave)") [42]

As a form of obstructionism in a legislature or other decision making body, a filibuster is an attempt to extend debate upon a proposal in order to delay or completely prevent a vote on its passage. ... Forlorn hope is a military term that comes from the Dutch verloren hoop, which should be translated as lost troop although in Dutch it can also mean lost hope. The Dutch phrase fortutiously sounding like a accurate statement of the units future in English. ... Freight is a term used to classify the transportation of cargo and is typically a commercial process. ...

G

Gas 
from gas, a neologism from Jan Baptista van Helmont, derived from the Greek Chaos [43]
Geek 
from geck (gek) (="fool") [44] [45]
Gin 
from jenever [46]
Gnu 
from Dutch gnoe (from Bushman !nu) [47]
Guilder 
from Dutch gulden [48]
Golf 
from Dutch kolf [1]
Grab 
from grijpen (="to seize, to grasp, to snatch") [49]

For other uses, see Gas (disambiguation). ... A neologism (Greek νεολογισμός [neologismos], from νέος [neos] new + λόγος [logos] word, speech, discourse + suffix -ισμός [-ismos] -ism) is a word, term, or phrase which has been recently created (coined) — often to apply to new concepts, to synthesize pre-existing concepts, or to make older terminology sound more contemporary. ... Jan Baptist van Helmont. ... For other senses of this word, see chaos (disambiguation). ... The word geek is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as 1: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken, bat or snake 2: a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked 3: an enthusiast or expert... Gin and tonic. ... GNU (pronounced ) is a computer operating system composed entirely of free software. ... The Bushmen or San peoples of South Africa and neighbouring Botswana and Namibia, who live in the Kalahari, are part of the Khoisan group and are related to the Khoikhoi. ... Guilder is the English translation of gulden, (old) Dutch for golden. The gulden originated as a gold coin (hence the name) but has been a common name for a silver or base metal coin for some centuries. ... This article is about the sport. ...

H

Hankering 
from Middle Dutch hankeren or Dutch hunkeren [50]
Harlem 
called after the city of Haarlem near Amsterdam
Hartebeest 
from Afrikaans, from Du. hertebeest "antelope," from hert "hart" + beest "beast." [51]
Hoboken 
called after the Flemish town Hoboken near Antwerp.
Hoist 
possibly from Middle Dutch hijsen [52]
Holster 
from holster [53]
Hooky 
from hoekje (=corner) in the sense of to go around the corner [54]
Hotchpot 
from: hutspot

For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Alcelaphus buselaphus Pallas, 1766 The Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus) is a grassland antelope found in West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. ... Hoboken may refer to: Hoboken, New Jersey, the second most densely populated city in the United States Hoboken, Antwerp, Belgium Hoboken, Georgia Anthony van Hoboken, a Dutch musicologist Hoboken, a song by Operation Ivy Better in Hoboken, a song by Franz Ferdinand Category: ... In property law, hotchpot (sometimes referred as hotchpotch or the hotchpotch rule) refers to the blending of property in order to secure equality of division. ... Hutspot is a dish of boiled and mashed potatoes, carrots and onions with a long history in traditional Dutch cuisine. ...

I

Iceberg 
probably from Dutch ijsberg,German Eisberg Danish isbjerg or Swedish isberg. [55]
Isinglass 
probably from Dutch huizenblas (this is no current Dutch word) [56]

Icebergs at Cape York, Greenland Iceberg at Cape York, Greenland Iceberg, Témpanos, Patagonia, Argentina. ... Isinglass is a substance obtained from the swimbladders of fish (especially Beluga sturgeon), used mainly for the clarification of wine and beer. ...

J

K

Keelhauling 
from kielhalen (=literally "to haul keel")
Kill (body of water) 
from kil from Middle Dutch kille (=literally "riverbed) [57]
Kink 
from kink referring to a twist in a rope [58]
Knapsack 
possibly from knapzak (=literally "bag of food") [59]
Knickerbocker 
from kniebroek (=literally "knee pants" or breeches), descendant of Dutch settler of New York [60]

// Keelhauling, from Dutch language kielhalen (to drag along the keel) was a severe form of corporal punishment meted out to sailors at sea. ... As a body of water, a kill is a creek. ... KINK is a commercial broadcast radio station serving the Portland, Oregon metro area. ... This article is on the type of backpack; for information on the musical band, see Knapsack (band). ... Look up knickerbockers in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

L

Landscape 
from landschap [61]
Leak 
possibly from Middle Dutch lekken (="to drip, to leak," ) [62]
Loafer 
from landloper [63]

This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Loafers or penny loafers are low, leather step-in shoes whose tops resemble a moccasin, but have broad flat heels. ...

M

Maelstrom 
from maalstroom (=literally "grinding current" or "stirring current")(possibly Norse in origin) [64]
Manikin 
from Flemish manneken (=literally "little man") [65]
Mannequin 
from Dutch manneken (=literally "little man") [66]
Mart 
from Middle Dutch marct (=literally "market") [67]
Measles 
possibly from Middle Dutch masel "blemish" (modern Dutch: mazelen) [68]
Meerkat 
from Dutch meerkat monkey [69]
Morass 
from moeras (swamp) [70]

Saltstraumen maelstrom A maelstrom (or malström) is a very powerful whirlpool; a large, swirling body of water. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A wooden mannequin For other uses, see Mannequin (disambiguation). ... Mart is a city in Texas, United States. ... Binomial name (Schreber, 1776) Meerkat range The meerkat or suricate Suricata suricatta is a small mammal and a member of the mongoose family. ...

N

O

Offal 
possibly from Middle Dutch afval [71]

Scrapple sandwich at the Delaware state fair Offal is the entrails and internal organs of a butchered animal. ...

P

Patroon
from patroon [72]
Pickle 
c.1440, probably from M.Du. pekel [73]
Pinkie 
Pinkje/Pinkie [74]
Polder 
from polder
Poppycock 
from pappekak (=dialect for "soft dung") [75]
Pump 
from pomp [76]

A patroon was a proprietor of a tract of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America. ... Species (extinct) Bilbies are marsupial omnivores; members of the bandicoot family. ... This article is about the terrain type. ... Nonsense is an utterance or written text in what appears to be a human language or other symbolic system, that does not in fact carry any identifiable meaning. ... This article is about a mechanical device. ...

Q

Quack 
shortened from quacksalver, from kwakzalver (= literally "someone who daubs ointments") [77]

Look up quack in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

R

Roster 
from rooster (="schedule, or grating/grill") [78]
Rover
from Dutch "rover" (= "robber") [79]
Rugsack
from Dutch "rugzak" (= "backpack")

[80]


S

Santa Claus 
from Middle Dutch Sinterklaas (="Saint Nicholas"), bishop of Asia Minor who became a patron saint for children. (Dutch feast celebrated on the 5th of December) (Origins of Santa Claus in US culture)[81]
Scone 
from schoon (="clean") [82]
Scow 
from schouw (a type of boat) [83]
Skate, to skate 
from schaats. The noun was originally adopted as in Dutch, with 'skates' being the singular form of the noun; due to the similarity to regular English plurals this form was ultimately used as the plural while 'skate' was derived for use as singular." [84]
Sketch 
from schets [85]
Skipper 
from Middle Dutch scipper (now schipper =literally "shipper") [86]
Sled, sleigh 
from Middle Dutch slede, slee [87]
Slim 
"thin, slight, slender," from Dutch slim "bad, sly, clever," from M.Du. slim "bad, crooked," [88]
Sloop 
from sloep [89]
Slurp 
from slurpen [90]
Smack (boat) 
possibly from smak "sailboat", perhaps so-called from the sound made by its sails [91]
Smelt 
from smelten (="to melt") [92]
Snack 
perhaps from Middle Dutch snakken (="to long" (snakken naar lucht="to gasp for air") originally "to eat"/"chatter") [93]
Snoop 
from snoepen (to eat (possibly in secret) something sweet) [94]
Snuff 
from snuiftabak (=literally "sniff tobacco") [95]
Splinter 
from splinter [96]
Split 
from Middle Dutch splitten [97]
Spook 
from spook (="ghost(ly image)") [98]
Stoker 
from stoken (="stoke a fire") [99]
Stern 
hind part of a ship related to Steven in Dutch and Stiarn in Frisian [100]
Still life 
from Dutch stilleven [101]
Stoop (steps) 
from stoep (="pavement/sidewalk") [102]
Stove 
from Middle Dutch stove (="heated room"). The Dutch word stoof, pronounced similarly, is a small (often wooden) box with holes in it. One would place glowing coals inside so it would emanate heat, and then put one's feet on top of it while sitting (in a chair) to keep one's feet warm. [103]
Sutler
from zoetelaar (="one who sweetens", sweetener, old-fashioned for "camp cook") [104]

A typical depiction of Santa Claus. ... Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten helpers arrive in the town of Sneek in November 2005 Sinterklaas (also called Sint Nikolaas in Dutch ( (help· info)) and Saint Nicolas in French) is a holiday tradition in the Netherlands and Belgium, celebrated every year on Saint Nicholas eve (December 5) or, in Belgium... A typical depiction of Santa Claus. ... For the foodstuff see Scone (bread). ... A scow, in the original sense, is a flat bottomed boat with a blunt bow, often used to haul garbage or similar bulk freight; cf. ... Broad skate, Amblyraja badia A skate egg case, known as a mermaids purse. ... Look up Sketch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up skipper in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Scene from winter nearly anywhere snow may fall on a handy hill—Children at play sledding. ... Field Marshal William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim (1897 – 1970), British military commander and 13th Governor-General of Australia. ... A sloop-rigged J-24 sailboat A sloop (From Dutch sloep) in sailing, is a vessel with a fore-and-aft rig. ... A fishing smack, or simply smack, is a sea-going boat used for fishing. ... Smelting rhymes with melting Electric phosphate smelting furnace in a TVA chemical plant (1942) Chemical reduction, or smelting, is a form of extractive metallurgy. ... A snack food is seen in Western culture as a type of food that is not meant to be eaten as part of one of the main meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, supper). ... Look up snoop in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Shredded tobacco leaf for pipe smoking Tobacco can also be pressed into plugs and sliced into flakes Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in genus Nicotiana. ... Abraham Bram Stoker (November 8, 1847–April 20, 1912) was an Anglo-Irish writer, best remembered as the author of the influential horror novel Dracula. ... Aft of the Soleil Royal, by Jean Bérain the Elder. ... A still life is a work of art which represents a subject composed of inanimate objects. ... A stove is a heat-producing device. ... Sutler, a camp-follower who sells provisions, liquor and other supplies to an army in the field, in camp or in quarters. ...

T

Tattoo (military term) 
from taptoe (=literally "close the tap"). So called because police used to visit taverns in the evening to shut off the taps of casks. [105]
Tickle 
from kietelen [106]
Trigger 
from trekker (Trekken ="to pull") [107]
Tulip 
from tulp [108]

A military tattoo, is a military drum performance. ... The word tickle can refer to: tickling, the act of touching a part of the body lightly so as to cause involuntary laughter or contraction of the muscles; Trout tickling is a method of fishing by hand. ... Trigger may refer to: Trigger, a mechanism to actuate the following devices gun crossbow animal trap Trigger, the cause of an event Triggering the precipitation of a dissolved material in a supersaturated solution Triggering an allergic reaction by exposure to an allergen Trigger, a thought, experience or an event that... Species See text Tulip (Tulipa) is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the family Liliaceae. ...

U

V

Veldt 
South African grassland, 1785, from Afrikaans, from older Du. veld [109]

For information on the town of Veldt, see Veldt Township, Minnesota Veld or Veldt is an open area of land, typically in South Africa or southern Africa, comparable to the Australian outback. ...

W

Waffle 
from wafel [110]
Walrus 
from walrus [111]
Wagon 
from Middle Dutch wagen, waghen (="cart, carriage, wagon") [112]
Wiggle 
from wiggelen or wiegen [113]
Wildebeest 
from wildebeest (via Afrikaans) [114]

This article is about the food item. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Distribution of Walrus Subspecies Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) are large semi-aquatic mammals that live in the cold Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. ... A wagon (in British English waggon) or dray is a wheeled vehicle, ordinarily with four wheels, usually pulled by an animal, or animals, such as horses, mules or oxen and used for transport of heavy goods. ... One moving their body in short sudden bursts, in various directions. ... Species Connochaetes gnou Connochaetes taurinus The wildebeest (plural, wildebeest or wildebeests), also called the gnu (pronounced or ), is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. ... Look up Wiktionary:Swadesh lists for Afrikaans and Dutch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

X

Y

Yacht 
from jacht (=originally "hunt") [115]
Yankee 
from Jan Kees, a personal name, originally used mockingly to describe pro-French revolutionary citizens, with allusion to the small keeshond dog, then for "colonials" in New Amsterdam (Note: this is not the only possible etymology for the word yankee. For one thing, the Oxford English Dictionary has quotes with the term from as early as 1765, quite some time before the French Revolution.) [116]

This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... For the Major League Baseball team, see New York Yankees. ... The Keeshond (IPA pronunciation: or KAYZ-hond; plural: Keeshonden) is a medium-sized dog with a plush two-layer coat of silver and black fur with a ruff and a curled tail, originating in Germany. ... Year 1765 (MDCCLXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on...

Z

References

  1. ^ a b c d Het verhaal van een taal, negen eeuwen nederlands, http://www.pbo.nl

See also

Look up Category:Dutch derivations in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... . ... Words of Afrikaans origin have entered other languages. ... Historically, many Dutch military terms have been influential and adopted as loanwords by many other languages all over the world. ...

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
List of English words of Dutch origin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (380 words)
This is a list of words of Dutch language origin.
However, note that this list does also include some words of which the etymology is uncertain, and that some may have been derived from Middle Low German equivalents instead or as well.
The noun was originally adopted as in Dutch, with 'skates' being the singular form of the noun; due to the similarity to regular English plurals this form was ultimately used as the plural while 'skate' was derived for use as singular."
Wikipedia: English language (2183 words)
English is descended from the language spoken by the Germanic tribes, the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, that began populating the British Isles around 500 AD.
English is the first language in Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, Antigua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
English grammar is based on that of its Germanic roots, though some scholars during the 1700s and 1800s attempted to impose Latin grammar upon it, with little success.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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