German words from Middle Low German
15 German words with Middle Low German in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
Behörde
It is a chancery formation from Middle Low German behören (“to belong to, be due”), which corresponds to High German behœren (“to belong, be fitting”) and to the modern gehören. The verb is formed…
betreiben
It is borrowed from Middle Low German bedrīven (“to graze cattle on; to carry on”), which is first recorded in Middle Low German and spread into High German in the 16th century, adapted as from…
Betrieb
It is borrowed from Middle Low German bedrīf (“activity, pursuit”), which reached High German about 1600 and was adapted there to Trieb. Like the verb betreiben, from bedrīven, it came into the…
dauern
It is inherited from Middle High German dūren (also tūren), borrowed from Middle Low German dūren, from Latin dūrō (“to harden; to last, endure”), from dūrus (“hard”). The Latin verb was taken first…
Dienstag
It is inherited from Middle High German dienstac, borrowed from Middle Low German dingesdach, a Low German and Lower Rhenish name that spread into High German. The same Lower Rhenish word is Middle…
echt
It is borrowed from Middle Low German echt (“lawful, genuine”), taken over from Low German, contracted from ēhacht, earlier ēhaft (“legally valid, lawful, born in wedlock”), a derivative of ē (“law…
Gegner
It is borrowed from Middle Low German gēgenēre (“adversary”), an agent noun from Middle Low German gēgenen (“to meet, come towards”), which was derived from the adverb and preposition gegen. The…
Hälfte
It is borrowed from Middle Low German helfte, which made its way into High German in the 15th century. The word was formed with a dental suffix from Middle Low German half (“half”), the Low German…
knapp
It is borrowed from Middle Low German knap (“narrow, scarce, sparse”), taken into the literary language in the 16th century. Related words are Dutch knap (“close-fitting, quick, clever”), Old Norse…
landen
It is borrowed from Middle Low German landen (“to come ashore”), a Low German verb formed from Land, which entered the standard language in the 17th century and displaced the Upper German länden…
liefern
It is borrowed from Middle Low German lēveren (“to deliver”), a term of the Hanseatic merchants, borrowed from Old French livrer (“to hand over, deliver”), from Latin līberō (“to free, release”)…
Uhr
It is inherited from Middle High German ūre (“hour”), borrowed from Middle Low German ūre (“hour”), from Middle Dutch ure, from Old French (h)ore, from Latin hōra (“time, hour”), from Ancient Greek…
Umsatz
It is borrowed from Middle Low German ummesat (“exchange”), a noun formed from ummesetten (“to exchange”), the Middle Low German form of umsetzen. Duden's etymological dictionary says that the verb…
wichtig
It is inherited from Middle High German wihtec (“sold by weight”), borrowed from Middle Low German wichtich (“weighed, heavy”), from wichte (“weight”). The noun is a form without the prefix of the…
Zeitung
It is inherited from Middle High German zīdunge (“news, message”), borrowed from Middle Low German tīdinge (“event, news”). The High German form, with /ts/ for the Low German /t/, first appears…