helemaal

Forms

helemaal (adverb, invariable)^[1] Older spellings are heelemaal (1784) and heeltemael (1692).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is shortened from older ⟨heeltemaal⟩, from Dutch heel (“wholly”) + te + maal (“time”), a form poorly recorded because it belonged to speech, but which lives on in Afrikaans heeltemal (“completely”).^[3] ⟨Heeltemaal⟩ blends the adverb of degree with the adverbial phrase ⟨te maal⟩ “altogether”, both meaning “wholly, completely” and both much older: the adverb is found in this sense in 1443–1451 and the phrase in 1270–1290.^[3][2][4] allemaal was formed in the same way, from ⟨al te male⟩.^[3][2] The fuller ⟨gheheel te mael⟩ is recorded in 1600–1650.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The modern form is first recorded in 1784, in the sentence Dan zal de Beer heelemaal los zyn “then the bear will be completely loose”.^[2][5][3] The older heeltemael appears in 1692.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, in 1901, called the word very common in speech, with heelemaal niet! as a strong denial and ben je nu heelemaal? “are you quite mad?”.^[2] Van Sterkenburg takes that question as short for a longer curse such as ben je nou helemaal besodemieterd.^[6] In the 1970s the word was used at the end of a question for “actually, at all”, and dat is het helemaal meant “that's perfect”.^[7][8] It also means “all the way” and “especially”.^[1]

Berbice Dutch took it as helemali “completely”.^[9][1]

Timeline

• 1270–1290 – Middle Dutch te male “wholly” in a moral text.^[3]
• 1443–1451 – Heel “wholly” as an adverb.^[3]
• 1600–1650 – Gheheel te mael “totally”.^[3]
• 1692 – Heeltemael is recorded.^[3]
• 1784 – Heelemaal, the modern form.^[2][5]
• 1970 – Dat is het helemaal “that's perfect”.^[7]

Meanings

Adverb

1. completely, entirely, totally: de taart is helemaal op.^[8][1][10]
2. All the way, the whole way: ze fietste helemaal naar Utrecht.^[1]
3. Especially, even more so.^[1]
4. (colloquial) At the end of a question: actually, at all.^[7][1]

Related words

• heel
• maal
• allemaal
• helegaar

Usage notes

Helemaal niet is an emphatic “not at all”.^[2][1] Ben je nou helemaal? expresses surprise or indignation, and er helemaal uit zijn means to have lost touch with something.^[8] The more colloquial helegaar, mostly used with a negative, is recorded as heel en gaer in 1621; it is either heel and gaar, after German ganz und gar, or shortened from heel te gader on the model of helemaal.^[3]

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 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 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. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
5. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
6. ^ Sterkenburg, P. G. J. van (2001), Vloeken: een cultuurbepaalde reactie op woede, irritatie en frustratie, 2nd ed., Den Haag: Sdu
7. ^ a b c Reinsma, R. (1975), Signalement van nieuwe woorden, Amsterdam: Elsevier
8. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
9. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
10. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org