Etymologically
Log in

die

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 14:35. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

Forms

die m or f or pl (distal demonstrative, neuter dat)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch die, inherited from Old Dutch thie, the stressed form of the old demonstrative pronoun; in unstressed position the same pronoun was reduced to the article de.[2][3][1] Wiktionary describes the Middle Dutch pronoun as a merger of several Old Dutch case forms, among them thē, thia and thiu.[1] The same pronoun is Old Saxon thē, Old High German dēr, Old Frisian thē and Middle English the, all with an initial dental from Proto-Indo-European *to- (“that”);[2][4] Kroonen gives the stem as Proto-Germanic *þa- (“that, those”).[2][4]

In Proto-Germanic the masculine and feminine nominative began with ⟨s-⟩ instead, as Gothic 𐍃𐌰 (sa), Old Norse sá and Old English se still show;[2][5][1] Wiktionary sets up *sa for this form.[2][5][1] In German, Low German, Frisian and Dutch the forms with ⟨þ-⟩ spread from the other cases into the nominative, and the old feminine survived for a time in Flemish Middle Dutch soe, used as a personal pronoun meaning she.[2][3][6] The forms with ⟨s-⟩ go back to Proto-Indo-European *so (“this, that”), which also gave Ancient Greek ὁ (ho) and Sanskrit स (sá); the ⟨t-⟩ forms match Lithuanian tas, Old Church Slavonic тъ (tŭ) and the second part of Latin iste (“this, that”).[2][3]

The long vowel /i/ has been explained as the result of contracting /ea/ and /eo/ in other cases, as in the Old Dutch feminine plural, but also as a Germanic /ē/ in the masculine nominative, as in Old High German dē.[6][3] Karstien instead derived that /ē/ from an unstressed diphthong /ai/, comparing the Gothic plural 𐌸𐌰𐌹 (þai);[7][6] Van Haeringen found the idea attractive but bold.[7][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Already in Old West Germanic the relative pronoun was taken from the demonstrative paradigm.[2] The Oudnederlands Woordenboek's oldest relative example is in the Utrecht baptismal vow of 791, where the convert renounces “all the demons who (the) are their companions”.[8] A demonstrative thie is recorded in 891–900, and the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century have the pronoun in both functions.[2][9][8] Middle Dutch die is first found as a relative pronoun in the Limburg Servaas legend of about 1200.[10]

Semantic evolution

By the Middle Dutch period die and de had gradually become distinct in use: die kept the demonstrative and relative functions, de became the article.[2] Middle Dutch scribes often wrote the relative together with neighbouring words, as diet for die dat and dieme for die men.[10]

The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal still listed the case forms diens, dien and dier in 1911; today dien lives mostly in fixed phrases such as met dien verstande “on the understanding that” and uit dien hoofde “for that reason”.[11][12] From the 16th century die van + a place name could mean “the people of”: a text of 1572 says that die van Mechelen were badly frightened.[11] Die en die came to stand for persons one does not care to name, as in a text of 1756.[11] In colloquial Surinamese Dutch die can also point to something unknown to the listener, “a certain”.[1]

Dutch carried the pronoun overseas: it gave Afrikaans die, Negerhollands die, di and emphatic dida, Berbice Dutch dida “that (there)” and Sranan Tongo di.[13][1]

Timeline

  • 791 – A relative the appears in the Utrecht baptismal vow.[8]
  • 891–900 – A demonstrative thie is recorded.[2]
  • 901–1000 – The Wachtendonck Psalms use the pronoun as demonstrative and relative.[9][2]
  • c. 1200 – Middle Dutch die is recorded as a relative pronoun in Limburg.[10]
  • 1572 – Die van Mechelen “the people of Mechelen” is recorded.[11]
  • 1756 – Die en die is used for unnamed persons.[11]

Meanings

Pronoun

  1. (demonstrative) That, those: points to a person or thing further from the speaker, used with de-words and plurals (neuter dat): Die fiets daar is van mijn broer.[12][1]
  2. (demonstrative) Announces a following clause or phrase: Ik bedoel die met de rode jas.[12][14]
  3. (relative) who, which, that: introduces a clause that restricts the antecedent: De trein die om acht uur vertrekt, is vol.[12][1]
  4. (relative) Introduces a clause that adds details about a known antecedent: Mijn tante, die in Gent woont, komt morgen.[12]
  5. (Suriname, colloquial) A certain, some, referring to something the listener does not know.[1]

Word family

  • bovendien
  • indien
  • diezelfde
  • nadien
  • sedertdien
  • sindsdien
  • voordien

Usage notes

In Flanders die can introduce a clause that refers back to a neuter noun;[15] Weijnen takes it there as a conjunction, not a relative pronoun, and compares Old Dutch thie, the.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  4. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  8. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  9. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ a b c d e 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
  12. ^ a b c d e Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  14. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
  15. ^ a b Weijnen, A. A. (2003), Etymologisch dialectwoordenboek, 2nd ed., Den Haag: Sdu