Etymologically
Log in

ergens

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 15:54. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ˈɛrɣəns/[1]

Forms

ergens[1] Middle Dutch has ergen, irgen, erghen, erghent and erghens.[2][3] The form without -s is obsolete.[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch ergens, inherited from Old Dutch iergen (“somewhere”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *euhwargin, an old Germanic compound with a young Dutch final -s.[2][1][5] Middle Dutch first had ⟨irgen⟩, ⟨ergen⟩; a ⟨t⟩ was added (⟨ergent⟩, as in sedert), and then the adverbial ⟨s⟩ of elders.[2][3][6][7] The same word is Middle Low German ergens and Old High German iowergin (modern German irgend, also with an added ⟨t⟩), while Old Saxon hwergin and Old English hwergen lack the first part.[2][7]

The EWN reconstructs the compound as ⟨*io-hwar-gin⟩.[2] Its first part, from ⟨*aiw⟩, is the same word as eeuw and the ⟨ie⟩ of ieder.[2][8] The second, “wherever”, was formed from Proto-Germanic *hwar (see waar) with a generalising particle ⟨*-gin⟩.[2] With ablaut the same particle is found in Gothic 𐌷𐌿𐌽 (-hun), as in 𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃𐌷𐌿𐌽 (ainshun, “anyone”).[2][6] It goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kʷe-ne, used to form indefinite words, as in Sanskrit चन (caná) and Lithuanian kana.[2][3]

Franck and Van Wijk pointed out that Middle Dutch ⟨erghen⟩ is rare and ⟨nerghen⟩ much more common, and took the positive form as a younger formation beside the negative, which matches nihwergin.[6][4] Van Haeringen replied that its rarity is no reason to give up the obvious identification with the German word.[9] Middle Dutch also had the synonym iewer, which lives on in western dialects as iewers.[9][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch iergen is first found in the Egmond Williram of about 1100: Saghet ir iergen minen wine?, “have you seen my beloved anywhere?”[5] Middle Dutch irgen glosses Latin alicubi “somewhere” in a Limburg glossary of 1240.[10][2]

Semantic evolution

The form ergens is dated 1285 by Van der Sijs, and erghens about 1475 by the EWN.[11][7][2] Besides “in some place” and “in any place whatever”, it came to be used of places in a book (1688), and ergens moeten wezen was a polite way of saying one had to go to the lavatory.[4] Joined to an adverb that is also a preposition, it does the work of iets: ergens toe goed zijn “to be good for something” is found in 1622.[4]

The sense “in some respect, in a way” spread widely from 1954; before that it was used only among artists and the like, and the first known instance is in a letter from Edgar du Perron to Menno ter Braak of 1932.[12] Ergens naar slaan “to make a wild guess” was originally ergens naar slaan als de blinde naar het ei, from a game in which a blindfolded player tried to hit an egg with a stick.[13]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Old Dutch iergen in the Egmond Williram.[5]
  • 1240 – Middle Dutch irgen glosses Latin alicubi in Limburg.[10][2]
  • 1285 – The form ergens.[11]
  • 1588 – Erghens henen “to some place”.[4]
  • 1622 – Ergens toe goedt “good for something”.[4]
  • 1932 – Du Perron uses ergens “in some respect” in a letter.[12]
  • 1954 – This sense spreads widely in the press.[12]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. somewhere, in some place one cannot or will not name: ik heb mijn bril ergens laten liggen.[14][1]
  2. anywhere, in any place whatever: is hier ergens een bakker?[14][4]
  3. (informal) In some respect, in a way: ergens snap ik haar wel.[14][12]
  4. With an adverb in place of a preposition with iets “something”: ze is ergens bang voor.[14][1]

Word family

  • nergens
  • ergenswaar
  • ergenszins
  • eeuw
  • ieder
  • iewers
  • elders
  • German irgend

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 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 Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  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 Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  7. ^ a b c Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
  8. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum
  9. ^ a b Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  12. ^ a b c d Reinsma, R. (1975), Signalement van nieuwe woorden, Amsterdam: Elsevier
  13. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  14. ^ a b c d Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers