Etymologically
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geloof

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Pronunciation

  • /ɣəˈloːf/[1]

Forms

geloof n (plural geloven, diminutive geloofje n)[1] The older form gelove (also geloove) was used especially in the States Bible and survives in poetry.[2][1] The plural geloven and the diminutive geloofje are used only in the concrete sense “a religion, a creed”.[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch gelôve, inherited from Old Dutch gilōvo (“faith”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *galaubô (“belief”).[1][3][4] The EWN and the ONW treat it as a noun formed from the verb geloven.[4][3] The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal thinks that both are too old for anyone to say which came first.[2]

The same noun is Old Saxon gilōƀo, Old High German gilaubo (modern German Glaube), Old Frisian lāva and Old English ġelēafa, all “belief, trust”; Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (galaubeins) has another suffix.[5][6][2] The noun was masculine in the older languages;[2][7] Middle Dutch made it mostly neuter, sometimes feminine.[2][7] The short form ⟨geloof⟩ is already common in Middle Dutch rhymes and is too old to be a simple loss of the final ⟨-e⟩ of ⟨gelove⟩.[2][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun is first recorded in the Egmond Williram of about 1100, which speaks of heathendom thes heyligan gelouan “of the holy faith”.[3][4] In Middle Dutch it means “credulity” in a Limburg glossary of 1240, where it renders Latin credulitas, and “faith in God” in the life of Lutgard of 1265–1270.[8][4]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch gelove meant trust in general, both the trust one places in someone and the trust one enjoys, hence credit and authority: groet van gheloeve was said of a man much trusted.[7][8] The religious sense, faith in God, follows Latin fides.[9] The Rijmbijbel of 1285 uses it for plain trust: dies ne adde niemen gheloef, “therefore nobody trusted it”.[4]

The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal starts from trust in the truth of another's words, as in iemand geloof geven (1612), and phrases such as zijn ogen geloof geven (1635), now obsolete.[2] From the faith itself the word passed to a religion or creed, the only sense with a plural.[2][10] The triad geloof, hoop en liefde comes from 1 Corinthians 13:13.[11][10]

The noun lives on in Afrikaans geloof, and it was borrowed into Negerhollands and Frisian.[1][12]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – The Egmond Williram has gelouan “faith”.[3][4]
  • 1240 – Middle Dutch geloue renders Latin credulitas.[8][4]
  • 1265–1270 – Groet geloeue ontfinc si, “she received great faith”, in the life of Lutgard.[4][8]
  • 1599 – Kiliaan gives gheloof and ghelooue “trust”.[4]
  • 1612 – Iemand geloof geven, to believe what someone says.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. belief, trust in the truth of something: Ik hecht weinig geloof aan die geruchten.[10][1]
  2. Religious faith, firm belief in a god and his commandments.[10][1]
  3. A religion, a creed: Ze zijn van een ander geloof.[10][13]

Word family

  • bijgeloof
  • ongeloof
  • goedgelovig
  • kleingelovig
  • geloofwaardig
  • geloofsbelijdenis
  • geloofsgenoot
  • geloofsovertuiging
  • geloofsvrijheid

Usage notes

Twee geloven op één kussen, daar slaapt de duivel tussen expresses doubt about a marriage between people of different religions.[10][1] Van zijn geloof vallen means to give up principles one held before.[10] Stoett explains een goed geloof en een kurken ziel, dan kun je drijven, said in reply to something hard to believe; in Harrebomée it meant that with confidence and a light heart one gets over everything.[14]

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 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 d Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  7. ^ a b c d Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  11. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
  12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  13. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
  14. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme