Etymologically
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geloven

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Pronunciation

  • /ɣəˈloːvə(n)/[1]

Forms

geloven[1] The older spelling is gelooven.[1][2] Middle Dutch also had the syncopated gloven and, in the east, gelaven.[3] In popular speech the verb is also looven and regionally leuven.[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch gelôven, inherited from Old Dutch gilōbian (“to trust, believe”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *galaubijaną (“to praise; to allow; to believe”).[4][1][5] The EWN analyses it as the verb loven, in its old sense “to approve, grant, promise”, with the intensifying prefix ge-.[4][6] The same verb is Old Saxon gilōƀian, Old High German gilouben (modern German glauben), Old Frisian lēva, Old English gelīefan (modern English believe) and Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌾𐌰𐌽 (galaubjan), while Old Norse leyfa means “to praise, permit”.[4][7][8]

The verb is related to lief: De Vries takes it as a causative, “to make something dear or familiar to oneself”, which led to “approve” and then to “trust, believe”.[7][2] De Vries and De Tollenaere derive it from a stem Proto-Germanic *laub- in ablaut beside *leub- of the adjective.[9] Franck and Van Wijk trace the base to Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- and compare 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍆𐍃 (galaufs, “valuable”).[10]

Whether the Christian sense spread from the Gothic mission to southern Germany has been suggested, but De Vries calls it uncertain, since Old English has the same use.[7] Van Haeringen also finds it less likely, while noting that the Scandinavians used trúa for the Christian concept.[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb is first recorded in the Utrecht baptismal vow of the late 8th century: gelobistu in got alamehtigan fadaer? “do you believe in God the almighty Father?”, answered ec gelobo in got alamehtigan fadaer.[5][4][12] The Old Dutch fragments from Werden of about 1151 also use it for “to promise, swear”.[5]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch geloven meant “to trust, believe”, as in Aiol (1220–1240), and also “to promise, pledge”: the Bernardus glossary of 1240 has both senses.[4][3] In the sense “promise” it was later pushed out by beloven.[4][2] The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal finds the oldest sense to be “to put one's trust in someone or something”; this stayed central in the noun geloof, while in the verb it widened and weakened.[2] In older Dutch the person trusted stood in the dative, as in a text of 1617 that says a man still did not believe the king.[2]

The religious sense, belief in God, follows Latin credere.[13][4] From “to hold true” came the weak sense “to think, suppose”, which Van Dale gives as a separate meaning.[14] The phrase eraan moeten geloven first meant to have to submit to something unpleasant, then to die, and of things to be used up or destroyed.[15][8]

The verb was borrowed into Negerhollands (geloof, gloof), Berbice Dutch (glofu) and Javindo (gelofen), and Frisian has gelove.[16][1] Afrikaans has the shortened glo.[1]

Timeline

  • 791 – The Utrecht baptismal vow asks gelobistu in got alamehtigan fadaer?[5][4][12]
  • 1151 – The Werden fragments use the verb for “to promise”.[5]
  • 1220–1240 – Middle Dutch gelouen “to trust, believe” appears in Aiol.[4]
  • 1240 – The Bernardus glossary has gelouen “to promise; to believe”.[4]
  • 1599 – Kiliaan gives gheloouen “to trust, have faith”.[4]
  • 1617 – A text uses the verb with a dative: he still did not believe the king.[2]
  • 1688 – Gelooft my “believe me” is used as an aside in an assertion.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (intransitive, with in) to believe in, to be convinced that someone or something really exists: Zij gelooft niet in spoken.[14][1]
  2. (intransitive) to be a believer, to have religious faith.[14]
  3. (transitive) to trust someone, to take their word: Ik geloof je, maar het klinkt vreemd.[14][2]
  4. (transitive) to accept something as true on another's word: Niemand geloofde zijn verhaal.[14][1]
  5. (transitive) to think, suppose: Ik geloof dat de winkel om zes uur sluit.[14]

Word family

  • gelovig
  • gelover
  • lichtgelovig
  • geloofbaar

Usage notes

Eraan moeten geloven means to have to undergo something unpleasant that cannot be avoided, or to die.[15][8] Die geloven, haasten niet comes from Isaiah 28:16 in the States Bible, where it means that the faithful will be rewarded in the end; it is often used jokingly to excuse slowness.[15][8] Zijn ogen niet kunnen geloven means to be astonished at what one sees.[14]

A separate, obsolete geloven meant “to praise” and “to promise”;[1][2] Wiktionary gives it its own etymology, from Old Dutch *gilovon and Proto-Germanic *galubōną, cognate with German geloben.[1][2] The noun gelofte “vow” belongs with it.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d e Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  6. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
  7. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b c d Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
  9. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 137
  10. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  11. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  12. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  15. ^ a b c Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  16. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)