Etymologically
Log in

geld

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 15:06. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ɣɛlt/[1]
  • Dutch, Northern: [xɛlt][1]
  • Dutch, Southern: [ɣɛlt][1]

Forms

geld n (plural gelden, no diminutive)[1] The plural gelden “sums of money, funds” is recorded since Middle Dutch.[2][3] The diminutive is geldje, in older and popular use also gelletje.[3][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch gelt, inherited from Old Dutch geld, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *geld, inherited from Proto-Germanic *geldą (“payment, compensation”).[4][1] The noun is formed from the root of gelden in its old sense “to pay, compensate”, and gilde belongs with it.[4][5] The same word is Old Saxon geld (“reward, payment, sacrifice”), Old High German gelt (“compensation”) (modern German Geld), Old Frisian jeld (“money, payment”) (modern West Frisian jild), Old English gield (“payment, tribute, sacrifice”), Old Norse gjald (“payment, fine”) and Gothic 𐌲𐌹𐌻𐌳 (gild, “tax”).[4][6][7] Wiktionary takes the Germanic root back to Proto-Indo-European *gʰeldʰ- (“to pay”), a root that Köbler finds only in Germanic and Slavic, and with a query.[1][8]

The meaning “money” is secondary.[4] The word first meant a payment, often in kind, owed to the community or as compensation, and it was also the name for a shared sacrifice, as in weergeld.[4][6] The sense “coin, money” arose only after coins were struck, and it is limited to continental West Germanic and Frisian.[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is Old Dutch: the Utrecht baptismal vow of the late 8th century renounces allum diobolgelde, “every sacrifice to the devil”.[4][9] Middle Dutch ghelt “sum, amount” appears in 1254, and a quotation from Antwerp dated 1248 already speaks of things bought met haers selues gelde, “with her own money”.[4][10]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch still used gelt for a payment or reward, as in comt noch ten swaren gelde “will yet come at a heavy price” (1339), next to the sense “money” as a means of payment and as wealth.[2] Charters of the 13th century distinguish good current money from bad, and ghereet ghelt “ready money” is cash (1285).[10] The plural gelden, sums of money, appears in 1434.[2]

Modern Dutch has many phrases with the word, some of them translated: tijd is geld renders English time is money of the 18th century, geen geld, geen Zwitsers French point d'argent, point de Suisses and je geld of je leven English your money or your life.[11][12] Jewish Dutch had a large slang vocabulary for coins and sums.[13]

English slang gelt comes from Dutch or German, and French once had guelte, a commission on sales.[14] The word went into Negerhollands and Skepi Dutch (galti), and through Afrikaans into South African English, Sotho and Venda.[14][1]

Timeline

  • 776–800 – Old Dutch diobolgelde “sacrifice to the devil” appears in the Utrecht baptismal vow.[4][9]
  • 1248 – An Antwerp text uses gelt for money.[10]
  • 1254 – Middle Dutch ghelt “amount” is recorded.[4]
  • 1285 – Ghereet ghelt “ready money” appears in Dordrecht.[10]
  • 1434 – The plural gelden “sums of money” is recorded.[2]
  • c. 1885 – The Belgian geldbeugel “purse” is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. money, the means of payment in coins and notes: Ik heb geen geld bij me.[15][1]
  2. Wealth, capital: Die familie heeft veel geld.[15]
  3. A sum of money, an amount; in the plural gelden, funds: de publieke gelden.[15][3]

Word family

  • geldig
  • weergeld
  • geldelijk
  • geldschieter
  • geldbelegging
  • geldboete
  • geldbuidel
  • geldgebrek
  • geldgierig
  • geldhandel
  • geldkist
  • geldlening
  • geldbeugel
  • gelden
  • gilde
  • vergelden
  • German Geld

Usage notes

Bulken van het geld means to be very rich;[11] bulken here probably meant “to belch”.[11] A homograph, the adjective geld “not with young, giving no milk” (of cows and other female animals), is recorded in Bruges in 1300 and survived in North Holland.[10][3] It is of uncertain origin: it may be connected with a Germanic verb for bewitching, as barrenness in cattle was put down to witchcraft, or with a root meaning “to cut”.[6][16] Wiktionary takes it as a probable borrowing from Old Norse.[1]

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 Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  3. ^ a b c d 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
  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. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 136
  6. ^ a b c d Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
  9. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  10. ^ a b c d e 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 c Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
  13. ^ Kamp, Jacob van de; Wijk, Jacob van der (2006), Koosjer Nederlands: Joodse woorden in de Nederlandse taal, Amsterdam: Contact
  14. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  15. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  16. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff