geven

Forms

geven (past gaf, plural gaven; past participle gegeven)^[2] Middle Dutch had the third person gevet, geeft, geft and gift and the imperative gef or gif.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch gêven, inherited from Old Dutch gevan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *geban, inherited from Proto-Germanic *geban-.^[4][1][5] The same verb is Old Saxon geƀan, Old High German geban (modern German geben), Old Frisian jeva, Old English giefan, Old Norse gefa (modern Swedish giva) and Gothic 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (giban), all meaning “to give, provide”.^[4][6][7] Van Haeringen notes that modern English give is not the regular outcome of the Old English verb, and its ⟨g⟩ probably comes from Scandinavian.^[8] The relation to 𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌴𐌹 (gabei, “wealth”) is unclear: some take the root to have had /a/ and the /e/ of the verb to come from its opposite nemen, but the Gothic noun may be unrelated.^[4][6] The verb probably replaced the older Indo-European verb for giving, Proto-Indo-European *dō-, in Germanic.^[6][9]

A root Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ- can be reconstructed, but no certain cognates outside Germanic confirm it.^[4] The usual comparison is with Old Irish gaibid (“takes, holds”) and Lithuanian gabénti (“to bring, carry off”), from a root ⟨*gʰabʰ-⟩ “to seize”;^[6][9][5] De Vries found the step from “take” to “give” large and looked for it in words such as the matron name ⟨Alagabiae⟩, goddesses who own and bestow wealth.^[6][9][5] Kroonen rejects the Celtic comparison on formal grounds and derives the verb instead from a prefixed Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep- (“to seize”), the root of Sanskrit आप्नोति (āpnóti, “reaches, obtains”) and Latin apīscor (“to seize, obtain”).^[7][1] The EWN discusses further connections under hebben.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb is recorded many times in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, as in gevon sal “will give” and ertha gaf “the earth gave”.^[4][10] About 1100 the Willeram has thie gauon mir thiu andwarde “they gave me the answer”.^[4] Middle Dutch geven is recorded in Limburg in 1200, and in 1201 her gaf eme siluer ende golt, “he gave him silver and gold”.^[11]

Semantic evolution

Old Dutch already used the verb both for handing over goods and for granting abstract things such as strength or a sign, and guotlīkhēt gevan meant to give glory.^[10] Middle Dutch added a wide range of uses: to transfer property by handing over a straw (halme gheven), to give in marriage, to bear a child, to yield, to sound and to devote oneself.^[11] The infinitive used as a noun, gheven, meant a gift.^[11][3]

The WNT grouped the senses under four Latin headings: giving in general, giving as a present, giving back and giving out or producing.^[2] Iemand de zak geven “to sack someone” is recorded from 1732.^[2] The impersonal het geeft niet, “it does not matter”, and geven om, “to care about”, are modern.^[12][1] The proverb het is zaliger te geven dan te ontvangen comes from the Statenbijbel's Acts 20:35.^[13] Dat geeft te denken is a loan translation of French cela donne à penser.^[14]

The verb lives on in Afrikaans gee, Negerhollands gi and gief, Skepi Dutch gef and Javindo heef.^[15][1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch gevan appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[4][16][10]
• c. 1100 – Thie gauon mir thiu andwarde is recorded.^[4]
• 1200 – Middle Dutch geven is recorded in Limburg.^[11]
• 1265 – The infinitive is used as a noun for “giving”.^[11]
• 1289 – Halme gheven, transferring property, is recorded in Bruges.^[11]
• 1732 – Iemand de zak geven “to dismiss someone” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To give something to someone so that it becomes theirs: Ze gaf haar neefje een fiets.^[12][1][17]
2. To hand, to pass, without a change of owner: Geef me even het zout.^[12]
3. To deal a blow: Hij gaf de hond een tik.^[12]
4. To give off, to emit, of abstract things: Die lamp geeft weinig licht.^[12]
5. To provide, to yield: Deze koe geeft veel melk.^[12][18]
6. To cause, to bring about: Dat geeft alleen maar ruzie.^[12]
7. To organise, to hold: We geven zaterdag een feestje.^[12]
8. (impersonal, in questions and negations) To matter: het geeft niet “never mind”.^[12][1]
9. geven om To care about: Hij geeft niet om geld.^[1]

Word family

• gave
• gegeven
• gif
• gift
• prijsgeven
• vergeven
• gaaf
• wetgevend
• winstgevend
• aangeven
• afgeven
• opgeven
• uitgeven
• overgeven
• toegeven
• teruggeven
• weggeven

Related words

• hebben
• English give
• German geben

Usage notes

Weten te geven en te nemen, “to know how to give and take”, is known since the 16th century.^[13] The Belgian use of geven op for a window looking out on something was criticised in 1899 as a gallicism.^[19]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
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 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 Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 141
6. ^ a b c d e Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
8. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
9. ^ a b c Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
10. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
11. ^ a b c d e f 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
12. ^ a b c d e f g h i Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
13. ^ a b Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
15. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
16. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
17. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
18. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
19. ^ Vreese, Willem de (1899), Gallicismen in het Zuidnederlandsch, Gent: Siffer