Etymologically
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hart

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Pronunciation

Forms

hart n or f (plural harten, diminutive hartje n)[1] Older and regional forms are herte, harte and hert;[2][1] herte is still usual in Flanders and Zeeland, hert in Brabant and Limburg.[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch herte, inherited from Old Dutch herta, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hertā, inherited from Proto-Germanic *hertan- (“heart”).[3][1][4] The same word is Old Saxon herta, Old High German herza (modern German Herz), Old Frisian herte, Old English heorte (modern English heart), Old Norse hjarta and Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍄𐍉 (hairtō); in Germanic it was originally an n-stem.[3][5][4][2]

It is an old Indo-European word, related to Latin cor, Ancient Greek καρδία (kardía) and κῆρ (kêr), Lithuanian širdìs, Old Church Slavonic срьдьце (srĭdĭce), Old Irish cride and Old Armenian սիրտ (sirt), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱ(e)rd- (“heart”).[3][5][6] Kroonen gives the old inflection as a nominative ⟨*ḱḗr⟩ from older ⟨*ḱérd⟩ with a genitive in the zero grade.[4] The initial consonant of Sanskrit हृद् (hṛ́d) does not fit and is unexplained;[4][7][5] Van Haeringen still counts the word as related, and De Vries posits a second root beside the first.[4][7][5]

Middle Dutch had both ⟨herte⟩ and ⟨harte⟩, the latter at first only in West Flanders.[3] Short /e/ before /r/ and a dental varied in many Middle Dutch words, and the forms with /a/ are generally oldest in the Flemish dialects.[3] The EWN thinks the homonymy with hert (“deer”), which also had a variant ⟨hart⟩, may have helped make ⟨hart⟩ the standard form.[3] The word was originally neuter, but the ending ⟨-e⟩ made it feminine for many speakers, and feminine forms survive in fixed phrases.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century have herta “heart”.[3][8] In Middle Dutch the dative sinen herten occurs in Floyris (1201–1225), and the Bernardus glossary of 1240 translates Latin cor and precordia with herte.[3][9]

Semantic evolution

Already in Middle Dutch the word had many figurative senses: mind, memory, courage and centre.[3] The heart was the seat of love, loyalty and devotion, and van herten “heartily” is common from the life of Saint Lutgart (1265–1270) on.[9] Hartstocht “passion”, recorded by Kiliaan in 1599, was formed after Latin passio.[3] Harten “hearts” as a suit of playing cards is first recorded in 1612, named after the heart-shaped figures on the cards.[3]

In iemand een hart onder de riem steken “to encourage someone” the heart means courage, and the belt is the one soldiers wore from the left shoulder across the chest;[3][6][10] Vercoullie thought instead of a seaman's phrase about putting an oar under the sail.[3][6][10] Van zijn hart geen moordkuil maken “to speak one's mind” is corrupted from 17th-century geen smoorkuil, and waar het hart vol van is, vloeit de mond van over comes from Matthew 12:34.[6] Het hart hoog dragen means to be proud.[11] In geography het Groene Hart is the open country inside the Randstad.[12]

The word went into Negerhollands (hert, hart) and Sranan Tongo (ati), which passed it on to Saramaccan;[13][1] Afrikaans has hart.[13][1]

Timeline

  • 901–1000 – Old Dutch herta in the Wachtendonck Psalms.[3][8]
  • 1201–1225 – Middle Dutch sinen herten in Floyris.[3]
  • 1240 – The Bernardus glossary translates cor with herte.[9][3]
  • 1265–1270 – Van herten “heartily” is recorded.[9]
  • 1599 – Kiliaan records herts-toght “passion”.[3]
  • 1612 – Harten is recorded as a suit of cards.[3]
  • 1772 – The heart of cold-blooded animals is described as having a single chamber.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. heart, the hollow muscle in the chest that pumps the blood: Zijn hart klopte snel.[12][14][1]
  2. the area of the chest where the heart is.[12][14]
  3. the heart as the seat of feelings and character; feeling, mind: een goed hart hebben.[14][12][1]
  4. heart as meat, from slaughtered animals.[12][14]
  5. a heart shape, a heart-shaped object.[12][14]
  6. the middle, core of something: het hart van de stad.[12][14][1]
  7. the middle of a period: hartje winter.[12][14]

Word family

  • hartstocht
  • hartig
  • behartigen
  • barmhartig
  • hartelijk
  • harteloos
  • luchthartig
  • hartaanval
  • hartkamer
  • hartslag
  • hartzeer
  • hartendief

Usage notes

Hart is also an archaic northern form of hert “deer”.[1][2] The old feminine survives in ter harte nemen and van harte.[2][1] The plural harten is the card suit hearts.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s 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
  4. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  8. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  9. ^ 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
  10. ^ a b Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
  11. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  13. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org