drie

Forms

drie (cardinal numeral; inflected drieën in met z'n drieën and in drieën)^[2][1] An older and dialect form is drij, originally the masculine beside the feminine drie.^[3][2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch drie, inherited from Old Dutch thrī, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *þrīʀ, inherited from Proto-Germanic *þrīz (“three”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes (“three”).^[4][1][5] The Germanic languages had a separate form for each gender, inflected in every case, and so did the medieval language: masculine ⟨dri⟩, feminine ⟨drie⟩, genitive ⟨drier⟩, dative ⟨drien⟩.^[4][6][3] Under the influence of the demonstrative die, ⟨drie⟩ became the only form.^[4][7]

The same word is Old Saxon thria, Old High German drī (modern German drei), Old Frisian thrē (modern West Frisian trije), Old English þrī (modern English three), Old Norse þrír (modern Swedish tre) and the neuter Gothic 𐌸𐍂𐌹𐌾𐌰 (þrija).^[4][8][5] Outside Germanic it is Latin trēs, Ancient Greek τρεῖς (treîs), Sanskrit त्रयः (tráyas), Lithuanian trỹs, Old Church Slavonic трьѥ (trĭje), Old Irish trí and Tocharian B trey, the Indo-European numeral “three”.^[4][8][3][5] The ordinal derde arose by metathesis from older ⟨dridde⟩, itself an old derivative of the numeral.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest trace is in the Frankish glosses of the Lex Salica (507–800), in a phrase read as “three (times eight) thousand”.^[4][9] Place names follow: Trilant (819–825) and Thri, the hamlet of Drie near Ermelo, in 855.^[4][9][10] Middle Dutch dri appears around 1200, and in a Limburg word list of 1240 drie glosses Latin tres.^[11][6]

Semantic evolution

Old Dutch already used the numeral in fixed Christian phrases, thie thrī dugitha for the three virtues of faith, hope and love and thrī kuninga for the Three Kings.^[9] The old dative lives on in met ons drieën and in drieën.^[2] Arithmetic books of the 17th century taught the regel van drieën, the rule of three (1623).^[2] In 1914 the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal records drie as a failing school mark and drie hoog for the third floor.^[2]

Het iemand in drieën geven, to bet that someone cannot do a thing even in three tries, is found from the 17th century.^[12] Niet tot drie kunnen tellen is said of a very stupid person.^[13]

The numeral went into Negerhollands, Berbice Dutch and Skepi Dutch, and into Sranan Tongo as dri, from which Saramaccan has dií.^[14][1]

Timeline

• 507–800 – A trace of the numeral in the Lex Salica glosses.^[4][9]
• 819–825 – The place name Trilant.^[4][15]
• 855 – Thri, the hamlet of Drie near Ermelo.^[9][10]
• c. 1200 – Middle Dutch dri.^[11]
• 1240 – Drie glosses Latin tres in Limburg.^[6]
• 1623 – Den reegel van drien, the rule of three.^[2]

Meanings

Numeral

1. three, one more than two: Ik heb drie broers.^[13][1]
2. Third in a series: hoofdstuk drie.^[13][16]

Noun

1. (de drie) The figure 3.^[13][16]
2. A mark of three in school, out of ten.^[2]

Word family

• drieling
• dries
• driehoek
• driedubbel
• Driekoningen
• driekwart
• driemaal
• drietal
• drievoet
• drievoud
• drievoudig
• driedelig
• derde
• dertien
• dertig

Related words

• English three
• German drei

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
6. ^ 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
7. ^ Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
8. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ a b c d e Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
10. ^ a b Berkel, Gerald van; Samplonius, Kees (2018), Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard, Utrecht: Spectrum
11. ^ a b Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 111
12. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
13. ^ a b c d Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
16. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org