Etymologically
Log in

boven

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 15:54. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ˈboː.və(n)/[1]

Forms

boven[1] It is rarely written bove, after the Holland pronunciation, and Van Mander once has boof for the metre (1597).[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch bōven, inherited from Old Dutch bovan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *biobanā.[1][3][4] It was formed with the prefix Proto-Germanic *bi- (see be-) on an adverb “above”, still found without the prefix in Old Dutch ouene (about 1100).[4] With the prefix the word is found only in the North Sea Germanic dialects: Old Saxon bioƀan, Middle Low German bōven, Old Frisian bova and Old English beufan, also bufan (modern English above).[4][5][2]

Without the prefix it is oƀana, Old High German obana (modern German oben), ova, ufan and Old Norse ofan, from *ufana- (“(from) above”).[4][1] This adverb was derived from ⟨*uf-⟩ “above” (as in Gothic 𐌿𐍆 (uf)) with the suffix ⟨*-ana⟩, which first marked direction away from a place, so that the word at first meant “from above”.[4][2] With another suffix the same base gave over.[4][5] The formation is like that of binnen, buiten and beneden.[5][6][2]

The WNT rules out a direct link with op, although boppa, formed from that word, matches ⟨boven⟩ in formation and meaning.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest records are in the Old Dutch Rhyming Bible fragments from Werden of the second half of the 12th century, as a preposition with the dative: bouon ther burg porten, “above the town gate”, and Bôuon themo saz Cosdras, “above it sat Chosroes”.[4][3] Middle Dutch bouen is found as a preposition in Aiol (1220–1240), and as an adverb of place in the Rhyming Bible of 1285.[4][7]

Semantic evolution

The adverb at first meant “from a higher place”, but the WNT treats the preposition as the main use.[2] It once took the dative, which survives in bovendien; in Middle Dutch and Middle Low German the accusative came in beside it, and it is the rule in modern Dutch.[2] Middle Dutch could use boven where modern Dutch has op: hi sit boven een pert meant “he sits on a horse”.[8] In the modern language boven excludes contact while op implies it: a rider sits on his horse, a cyclist above his wheel.[2]

From the 13th century the adverb also meant “higher up on the page, above in this text”, a use of charters.[9] The figurative senses, “higher in rank” and “more than”, are as old as the Rhyming Bible fragments, which speak of one who was above all the angels and so fell the deeper.[3] Van Veen and Van der Sijs take te boven komen “to overcome” from sailing, where a ship komt een hoek te boven when it clears a headland.[6] In Suriname boven means upstream, and naar boven up the river, from 1684.[10]

Danish and Norwegian sailors took the word as a prefix for the upper parts of masts and sails.[11] It went into Indonesian and Javindo as bofen, into Ambonese Malay, and into Negerhollands (boven, bo) and Berbice Dutch (bofu).[11][1] Afrikaans has bo.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Old Dutch ouene “above”, without the prefix.[4]
  • 1151–1200 – Bouon ther burg porten in the Rhyming Bible fragments.[4][3]
  • 1220–1240 – Middle Dutch bouen as a preposition in Aiol.[4][7]
  • 1236 – Boven in a charter from Ghent.[9]
  • 1285 – Boven as an adverb of place in the Rhyming Bible.[7]
  • 1597 – Van Mander writes boof for the metre.[2]
  • 1684 – Nae boven “upstream” in Suriname.[10]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. above, in a higher place: kijk eens naar boven.[12][1]
  2. upstairs, on an upper floor: de kinderen slapen boven.[12][1]
  3. At the top: de naam staat boven op het formulier.[12]
  4. At the surface: boven komen drijven, to come to the surface.[12]
  5. Higher up on the page, earlier in a text: zoals boven vermeld.[12][9]

Preposition

  1. Above, higher than: er hangt een lamp boven de tafel.[12][1]
  2. More than, beyond: kinderen boven de twaalf jaar;[12] boven zijn stand leven, to live beyond one's means.[12]
  3. In addition to, besides.[12]
  4. (geography) upstream of.[12]
  5. (informal) North of: boven de rivieren.[12]
  6. (nautical) To windward of.[12]

Word family

  • bovenaan
  • bovenop
  • bovendien
  • bovenal
  • bovenkant
  • bovenste
  • bovenverdieping
  • daarboven
  • hierboven
  • bovengrens
  • bovenleiding
  • bovennatuurlijk

Usage notes

Oranje boven! is a cheer in honour of the Dutch royal house.[12] Wonder boven wonder means “against all expectation”.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
  3. ^ a b c d Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
  5. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ a b Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
  7. ^ a b c Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  8. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  9. ^ a b c Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
  10. ^ a b Donselaar, J. van (1989), Woordenboek van het Surinaams-Nederlands, Muiderberg: Coutinho
  11. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers