en

Forms

en^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch ende, inherited from Old Dutch inde, inherited from Proto-Germanic *andi.^[2][1] Old Dutch also has in, enda and ande, and the Middle Dutch form was later shortened to en.^[2][3] The same conjunction is Old Saxon endi, Old High German enti and inti, beside unti with a different ablaut vowel (modern German und), Old Frisian and, and Old English and, the source of English and.^[2][4][5] The word was mostly unstressed, and the reconstructed form arose from an older Proto-Germanic *anþi by grammatical alternation; the older form is continued by Old Norse en (“but, and”).^[2]

The EWN thinks the word probably first meant “on the other hand, opposite”, and connects it with Latin ante (“before”), Ancient Greek ἀντί (antí), Sanskrit अन्ति (ánti) and Hittite ḫanza (“in front”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enti (“at the front, opposite”); on this view it is related to einde.^[2][1] Van Haeringen rejected this connection.^[6] De Vries and Franck–Van Wijk compare instead Sanskrit अथ (átha, “then, thereupon”), which Franck–Van Wijk call possible but uncertain, since the meanings of conjunctions vary so much.^[5][7][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is first recorded in the Utrecht baptismal vow of the late 8th century.^[8] The 10th-century Wachtendonck Psalms have ind, inde and in “and”.^[2][4] Middle Dutch ende appears around 1200 in the Servas legend from Limburg, and the short en in a charter of 1236.^[2][9]

Semantic evolution

Ende remained a written form for a long time beside en.^[10] Besides joining words and clauses, the conjunction makes fixed pairs of adverbs such as af en toe, op en neer, heen en weer and door en door.^[10][11] Placed between a comparative and itself it expresses a gradual increase, as in minder en minder “less and less” (1807).^[10] In the 17th century a conditional en, in “if” was also used, as in int u belieft “if it please you” (1615), like English an in the same sense.^[10]

In modern speech en can open a question or an exclamation of surprise or reproach, and nou en? answers a weak argument.^[11] Dutch passed the word to Indonesian én, Sranan Tongo èn, Negerhollands and Berbice Dutch an, and Afrikaans en.^[12][1]

Timeline

• 776–800 – The conjunction is first recorded, in the Utrecht baptismal vow.^[8]
• 901–1000 – The Wachtendonck Psalms have inde, ind and in.^[2]
• c. 1100 – Old Dutch enda and ande are recorded.^[2][3]
• c. 1200 – Middle Dutch ende appears in Limburg.^[2][9]
• 1236 – The short form en is recorded.^[2]
• 1615 – In (en) is used for “if”.^[10]
• 1807 – Minder en minder shows the doubled comparative.^[10]

Meanings

Conjunction

1. and: adds a word, phrase or clause to another; in arithmetic, plus.^[11][1][10]
2. Joins things that belong together, also in fixed pairs: op en neer, heen en weer.^[11][10]
3. Between two equal comparatives, expresses a steady increase: het werd warmer en warmer.^[11][10]
4. Expresses repetition or continuation: en maar wachten.^[11]
5. Marks a difference within one name: je hebt koks en koks.^[11]
6. Introduces a contrast: en toch, and yet.^[11]
7. At the start of a sentence, expresses surprise, a reproach or disappointment, or invites an answer: En? Hoe was het?;^[11][1] nou en?, so what?^[11][1]
8. Gives strong confirmation.^[11]

Word family

• op-en-top

Related words

• einde
• English and
• German und

Usage notes

A separate en “not” is en, ne, from the negative particle Proto-Germanic *ne.^[1][13] It went with another negative (ik en weet het niet), with maar in the sense “only”, and in het en zij and het en ware, the source of tenzij and tenware.^[10] By 1917 the WNT called it nearly obsolete in the Netherlands; it is still colloquial or dialectal in Belgium.^[10][1]

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 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 Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 121
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
8. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
9. ^ a b 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
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 f g h i j k Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill