English words from Middle Low German
7 English words with Middle Low German in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
deal
1. The share and the verb “to distribute” are inherited from Middle English del and delen, inherited from Old English dǣl (“a part, share”) and dǣlan (“to divide, distribute”), from Proto-Germanic…
mate
1. It is inherited from Middle English mate, borrowed from Middle Low German māte (“one eating at the same table, messmate”), gemate, from Proto-Germanic *ga-matjōn (“(one) having food together”)…
shock
1. It is borrowed from Middle French choc (“violent attack”), from Old French choquer “to strike against”, probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch schokken “to push, jolt”. Hoad calls the…
smile
It is inherited from Middle English smilen, of uncertain origin: perhaps from Middle Low German *smilen or from a Scandinavian source, compare Swedish smila “to smile, smirk” and Danish smile. It is…
tip
1. It is inherited from Middle English tippe, not attested in Old English, probably borrowed from Middle Low German tip (“utmost point, extremity”) or Middle Dutch tip, or from a Scandinavian source…
trade
It is inherited from Middle English trade (“path, track, course”), borrowed from Middle Low German trade (“track, course”) or Middle Dutch trade, introduced through Hanseatic merchants, presumably…
wake
1. The verb is inherited from Middle English waken, inherited from Old English wacian (“to be or remain awake”), merged in Middle English with *wacan (“to become awake, arise, be born”), from…