ezel

Forms

ezel m (plural ezels, diminutive ezeltje n, feminine ezelin)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch esel, inherited from Old Dutch esil, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *asil, borrowed from Latin asinus (“donkey”), a very old borrowing, with ⟨n⟩ replaced by ⟨l⟩ as in kummel beside komijn, or from its diminutive asellus.^[2][3][1] De Vries and De Tollenaere describe the change as an adaptation to the native suffix ⟨-el⟩, and Franck–Van Wijk as a substitution of Germanic ⟨-la-⟩ for the Latin ⟨-no-⟩.^[4][5] Wiktionary derives the West Germanic form from the Late Latin diminutive and treats the Gothic word as a parallel borrowing.^[1]

The Germanic peoples took the name over very early: the same word is Old Saxon esil, Old High German esil (modern German Esel), Old English esol and Gothic 𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍃 (asilus), from Proto-Germanic *asiluz.^[2][3] The Baltic and Slavic forms, such as Lithuanian asilas, were borrowed from Germanic.^[2][3][5] Other Germanic donkey words came separately: Old Norse asni is from Old French asne, and assa (modern ass) came through Celtic.^[2][5]

The Latin word, like the Greek name of the donkey, is probably taken from a language of Asia Minor, and Armenian and Sumerian donkey words may be related; the animal itself reached Europe from there.^[2][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Old Dutch Dictionary records esil in a text of 1151 from Werden, where the Lord rides barefoot on a donkey to his passion.^[6] In Middle Dutch esel first appears around 1240 in a Limburg glossary, as the translation of Latin asinus.^[7][2]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch texts of the 13th century use esel for the domestic donkey, often paired with the ox as the common beast of burden, for the wild ass, and in esel van der see for a fish, the hake.^[7] The sense “fool” is found in Middle Dutch by 1373, and the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal explains it from the animal's stubbornness.^[8][9] Many proverbs follow from this, such as een ezel stoot zich geen tweemaal aan dezelfde steen, a saying taken from Latin.^[10]

Because a donkey carries loads, the word came to mean the stand on which a painter sets his canvas: Kiliaan records it in 1599, while Van der Sijs dates this sense to 1654.^[2][11] The painter's easel passed into German as Esel and into English as easel, under the influence of Dutch painting;^{[2][3][12][13]} Etymonline dates the English word to the 1590s.^{[2][3][12][13]} The compound ezelsoor “dog-ear” (1708) was itself borrowed from German Eselsohr.^[2]

The animal name also lives on in Afrikaans esel and Negerhollands esel.^[12][1]

Timeline

• 1151 – Old Dutch esil is recorded in a text from Werden.^[6]
• c. 1240 – Middle Dutch esel glosses Latin asinus in a Limburg text.^[7][2][11]
• 1287 – Esel van der see names the hake in a West Flemish text.^[7]
• 1373 – The sense “fool” is recorded.^[8]
• 1590s – English easel is first recorded, from the Dutch painter's term.^[13]
• 1599 – Kiliaan records the sense “painter's easel”.^[2]
• 1708 – Ezelsoor “dog-ear” appears, borrowed from German.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. donkey, ass (Equus asinus), a hoofed animal with long ears, used mainly as a beast of burden.^[14][15][1]
2. A fool, a stupid or stubborn person: Wat ben je toch een ezel!^[14][15][1]
3. An easel, a stand on which a painter sets his work; more generally a device that carries something.^[14][15][1]

Word family

• ezelsbrug
• ezelsmelk
• ezelsoor
• ezelachtig
• ezelin
• ezelshoofd
• ezelspinguïn
• ezelsveulen
• muilezel
• steenezel
• werkezel
• schildersezel

Related words

• English easel
• German Esel

Usage notes

Van de os op de ezel springen means to jump from one subject to another.^[14] Een ezel stoot zich geen tweemaal aan dezelfde steen says that even a donkey does not make the same mistake twice; it goes back to Latin asinus ad lapidem non bis offendit eundem.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 e f Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 124
5. ^ a b c d Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
6. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
9. ^ 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
10. ^ a b Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
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 Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
13. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
14. ^ a b c d Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
15. ^ a b c Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org