dorsen

Forms

dorsen^[1] Older spellings are dorschen and derschen.^[2][1] Southern dialects also have darsen and dersen.^[3] The Middle Dutch verb was strong (past darsc) and already sometimes weak, and the modern verb is weak.^[4][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch derschen, also darscen and dorscen, inherited from Old Dutch *threscan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *þreskaną (“to thresh, to tread”).^[5][1][4] The Dutch forms have undergone metathesis of /r/, as have Middle Low German derschen and Old English þerscan;^[5][3][6] De Vries refers the ⟨o⟩ of the modern form to studies by Van Wijk and W. de Vries.^[5][3][6]

The same word is Middle Low German dorschen, Old High German dreskan (modern German dreschen), Old English ðerscan (modern English thresh and English thrash), Old Norse þreskja, þriskja and þryskva (modern Swedish tröska) and Gothic 𐌸𐍂𐌹𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌽 (þriskan, “to thresh”).^[5][3]

The EWN relates it to Lithuanian treškėti (“to crack”) and trėkšti (“to press, crush”) and places it under Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- (“to turn, rub”);^[5][1][6] Wiktionary gives the root as *terh₁-, and Van Veen compares Latin terō (“to rub”).^[5][1][6] De Vries doubted this: the word is found only in Germanic and, sparsely, in Balto-Slavic, the way from “turn” to “thresh” is long, and he asked whether it might be a substrate word.^[3]

The Germanic verb points to the oldest way of threshing, by treading the grain with the feet.^[5][3][7] The Romance languages borrowed it in that sense, mostly through Frankish: Old French treschier (“to dance”), Old Occitan trescar (“to dance”), Italian trescare (“to skip about, dance”) and Spanish triscar (“to stamp, dance”), and in some Italian dialects it still means “to thresh”.^[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb is first recorded about 1240 in a Limburg glossary, where dersgen renders Latin triturare “to thresh”.^[8][5][7] In a West Flemish text of 1285 Gideon darscede coren “was threshing corn”.^[8][5]

Semantic evolution

Already in Middle Dutch the verb was extended to beating and knocking: a Flemish text of 1301 describes two dreadful metal men who keep derssen ende slaen “threshing and striking”.^[4] From the 17th century it is used figuratively of God's punishment threshing the inhabitants (1639), and the biblical Eenen osse en sult gy niet muylbanden, als hy dorscht “you shall not muzzle an ox while it threshes” (1688) became a proverb.^[2] Hooi dorsen “to thresh hay” stands for useless effort.^[2] The sense “to beat, thrash” is recorded in 1676; by 1913 the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal found it only in the south.^[2]

Afrikaans has the verb as dors.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 1240 – Dersgen glosses Latin triturare in Limburg.^[8][5]
• 1285 – The past tense darscede appears in West Flanders.^[8][9]
• 1301 – The verb is used of striking and beating.^[4]
• 1321 – The form dorsschede appears, with ⟨o⟩.^[4]
• 1639 – It is used figuratively of God's punishment.^[2]
• 1676 – Dorschen “to beat” is recorded.^[2]
• 1688 – The Bible verse about the threshing ox is printed.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To thresh: to beat the grain or seed out of the ears, stalks or pods, by hand or with a machine.^[10][2][1]
2. (Southern Dutch) To beat, thrash.^[2][1]

Word family

• dors
• dorser
• dorsmachine
• dorsvlegel
• dorsvloer
• dorsschuur

Related words

• draaien
• English thresh
• German dreschen

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 j 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 e f g Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b c d 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 Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 108
8. ^ a b c d 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. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
10. ^ Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers