Etymologically
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deur

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Pronunciation

Forms

deur f (plural deuren, diminutive deurtje n or (Stadsfries) deurke n)[1] Middle Dutch wrote dore, duere and dure; the spelling deur is early modern.[2][3] The old form door is still found in the 17th century.[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch dore, inherited from Old Dutch duri (“doors”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *durz (“door”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwer- (“doorway, door, gate”).[2][1][5] Kroonen reconstructs the Germanic noun as a plural Proto-Germanic *durī-, beside a neuter Proto-Germanic *dura- “gate, single door”.[6] The same word is Old Saxon duru, Old High German turi (modern German Tür), Old English duru (modern English door), Old Frisian dure and Old Norse dyrr, a plural;[2][7][6] Gothic has only the accusative plural Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍉𐌽𐍃 (daurons).[2][7][6] Outside Germanic it is Latin forēs (“door”), Ancient Greek θύρα (thúra), Sanskrit द्वार् (dvā́r, “door, gate”), Old Church Slavonic двьри (dvĭri), Lithuanian dùrys, Old Armenian դուռն (duṙn) and Albanian derë.[2][7][8]

In Germanic and other languages the word often has a dual or plural form, which the Philippa dictionary and De Vries and De Tollenaere explain as the two leaves of a door.[2][9] De Vries himself took the dual to mean the two posts the door hung between, and thought of an early door of wickerwork, from a root ⟨*dheu-⟩;[7] De Tollenaere objected that the form cannot be a dual and that the link with wickerwork is very doubtful.[7] The ⟨eu⟩ of the modern word arose by umlaut of a short vowel in an open syllable.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch duri “doors” is first found in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, in a verse about hewing down doors with axes as in a wood.[2][5][10] Middle Dutch dore is first recorded about 1240 in the Bernardus glossary, and duere in a charter of 1281.[9]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has stayed “movable panel closing an entrance”, applied to buildings, rooms, vehicles and cupboards; the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal also records it for the wings of a fowling net and, figuratively, for the lips.[4] De deur openzetten voor iets, to open the door to something, mostly to abuses, is found from 1596.[4][11] Iemand voor de rode deur nemen, to take someone to task, Van Veen explains from the red gate of medieval castles, where those called to account had to appear.[3] Een open deur intrappen is a translation of French enfoncer une porte ouverte.[12] Belgian Dutch has halve deur for the lower half of a split front door.[4]

In youth slang since the 1980s deur has also meant a clumsy person.[13] Dutch passed the word to Negerhollands, Berbice Dutch doro and Sranan Tongo doro, and Afrikaans has deur.[14][1]

Timeline

  • 901–1000 – Old Dutch duri “doors” in the Wachtendonck Psalms.[2][5][10]
  • c. 1240 – Middle Dutch dore in the Bernardus glossary.[9]
  • 1281 – The spelling duere.[9]
  • 1538 – Tot binder duere, to the door, of seeing a friend out.[4]
  • 1596 – Een duere geopent in the figurative sense “given an opening”.[4]
  • 1980s – Deur “clumsy person” in youth slang.[13]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A door, a movable upright panel that gives access to a building, room, vehicle or cupboard: Doe de deur achter je dicht.[15][16][1]
  2. (youth slang) A clumsy person.[13]

Word family

  • deurwaarder
  • voordeur
  • achterdeur
  • buitendeur
  • huisdeur
  • kamerdeur
  • kastdeur
  • kelderdeur
  • kerkdeur
  • keukendeur
  • nooddeur
  • onderdeur
  • schuifdeur
  • tuindeur
  • tussendeur
  • vleugeldeur
  • buitendeurs

Usage notes

Buiten de deur eten is to eat out, and een blinde deur is a door that cannot be opened.[15] In zo zot als een deur and zo dronken als een deur the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal sees the old noun door “fool” (Middle Dutch dore), which speakers now take for the door; this noun survives in Brabant and Limburg dialects as deur “fool”.[4][17][18]

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 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 Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
  4. ^ a b c d e f g 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
  5. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  6. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  7. ^ a b c d e Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  9. ^ a b c d Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 101
  10. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  11. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
  13. ^ a b c Coster, Marc de (2007), Groot scheldwoordenboek: van apenkont tot zweefteef, Antwerpen: Standaard
  14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  15. ^ a b Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  16. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
  17. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  18. ^ Debrabandere, Frans (2010), Brabants etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van de woordenschat van Antwerpen, Brussel, Noord-Brabant en Vlaams-Brabant, Zwolle: Wbooks