deel

Forms

deel n (plural delen, diminutive deeltje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch deel, inherited from Old Dutch dēl, inherited from Proto-Germanic *daila-.^[2][3][1] The same word is Old Saxon dēl, Old High German teil (modern German Teil), Old Frisian dēl (modern West Frisian diel), Old English dǣl (modern English deal “allotment”) beside dāl without umlaut (modern English dole), and Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌹𐌻𐍃 (dails).^[2][4][5] Beside it stood a feminine *dailō(n)-, in teila (“division”), Old Norse deila (“quarrel”) and 𐌳𐌰𐌹𐌻𐌰 (daila, “participation”).^[2][6]

A link with an Old Church Slavonic word for “part” and with a Greek verb “to divide”, from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂-i-, is often suggested, but PIE /d/ should have given Germanic /t/.^[2] De Vries therefore considers a substrate word, and notes the view that the Slavic word may be a Gothic loan.^[2][6][5] Kroonen sees a word shared by Germanic and Balto-Slavic and allows a derivation from *dʰeh₁- (“to put”), though the formation has no exact parallel.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch deila “parts” is first recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, where the word also means “portion, share” (got … deil min “God my portion”).^[3][2][7] Middle Dutch dele, deel is found from 1237, and a Limburg glossary of 1240 renders Latin pars as deel and particula as deleken.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

From the start the word meant both a part of a whole and the share that falls to someone, and Middle Dutch built phrases on it such as dat meeste deel “the greater part” and in genen dele “not at all”.^[3][8] With a numeral it named a fraction: twee deel was two thirds (1301).^[9] From the 16th century it also meant one of several equal parts (1521), a region (de deelen van Tyrus ende Sidon, 1688), an act of a play (1612), a part of the body (1642) and a volume of a book (1734).^[10]

The sense “share” lives on in part noch deel hebben aan iets “to have nothing to do with something” (1531, paert ofte deel) and in ten deel vallen “to fall to one's lot”.^[10][11] Stoett traces de brutalen hebben de halve wereld “the bold own half the world” to the 16th-century d'onschamelen hebben de twee derdendeelen van de werelt.^[12] Danish, Norwegian and Swedish del “part” come from Dutch or Low German, and Javanese dhil “part; volume” and Negerhollands deel from Dutch.^[13]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch deila “parts” appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[3][7]
• 1237 – Middle Dutch dele, deel is first recorded.^[2]
• 1240 – A Limburg glossary renders Latin pars as deel.^[8]
• 1521 – Deel “one of several equal parts” is recorded.^[10]
• 1531 – Paert ofte deel “part or share” is recorded.^[10]
• 1612 – Deel is used for an act of a play.^[10]
• 1734 – Deeltje is used for a volume of a book.^[10]
• 1793 – The adverb deels “partly” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A part, a piece or section of a larger whole.^[11][1][14]
2. A share, the part that falls to someone.^[11]
3. A volume of a book or series of several books.^[11][1]

Word family

• aandeel
• deelnemen
• deeltijd
• delen
• gedeelte
• leeuwendeel
• nadeel
• voordeel
• oordeel
• tegendeel
• deelachtig
• deels
• onderdeel
• werelddeel

Usage notes

A separate noun de deel means “plank”, “wooden floor” and, in the north-east and in Brabant, “threshing floor” or the work floor of a farmhouse.^[2][11][15] It is Middle Dutch dele “plank” (1308–1346), from Proto-Germanic *þeljō-, related to German Diele and Old Norse þili, and English deal “plank” was borrowed from it or from Middle Low German around 1400.^[2][6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
4. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
6. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
8. ^ 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
9. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
10. ^ a b c d e f 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
11. ^ a b c d e Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
12. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
14. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
15. ^ Weijnen, A. A. (2003), Etymologisch dialectwoordenboek, 2nd ed., Den Haag: Sdu