Etymologically
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helpen

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈɦɛl.pə(n)/[1]

Forms

helpen[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch helpen, inherited from Old Dutch helpan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *helpaną (“to help”).[2][1][3][4] The same word is Old Saxon helpan, Old High German helfan (modern German helfen), Old Frisian helpa, Old English helpan (modern English help), Old Norse hjalpa and Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌻𐍀𐌰𐌽 (hilpan).[2][5][6][3] It was a strong verb, as it still is in most Germanic languages: Middle Dutch had ⟨helpen, halp, holpen, gheholpen⟩.[2][7] The noun hulp has the zero grade of the same root.[2][6]

The only plausible relative outside Germanic is Lithuanian šelpti (“to support, help”), but the match is imperfect, because Germanic ⟨p⟩ goes back to Indo-European ⟨*b⟩ and does not correspond to Baltic ⟨p⟩.[2][6] Lithuanian also has gélbėti (“to help”), which cannot be reconciled with either by regular sound laws.[2][3] Kroonen wonders whether the Lithuanian verb was borrowed from Germanic through a lost Slavic word, while the EWN thinks the likeness too great to be chance and suggests a common source in a pre-Indo-European substrate language.[3][2] A derivation from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to bend, lean”), with a link through “protect”, is traditional, but that root is hardly attested, and Trier's idea of a sense “help given within the fenced village community” the EWN finds far-fetched.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch helpon is found in the 10th-century Wachtendonck Psalms, in herro te helponi mi ilo, “Lord, make haste to help me”, and in the prayer got hilp mi, “God, help me”.[4][2][8] Middle Dutch helpen appears in a Rhineland text of about 1201: wir ne muge nimenen uinde die uns helpen wilde, “we cannot find anyone who would help us”.[9][2]

Semantic evolution

Helpen was originally intransitive, with the person helped in the dative; the dative later merged with the accusative, and the verb came to be used in the passive, whereas Middle Dutch said mi wert geholpen “help was given to me”.[10] The past tense halp gave way to holp and hulp and then to hielp;[10] Vondel still used holp.[10]

The oath also helpe mi God “so help me God” is recorded from 1260 and was contracted to selp in Middle Dutch; it survives as zo waarlijk helpe mij God almachtig in taking an oath.[9][7][11] Bredero used help God! as an exclamation of surprise or fright, and in mijn help! the word help stands for God.[12]

In modern Dutch the verb also means to serve a customer.[13] It became a euphemism for castrating or sterilising animals, and among Dutch Jews for operating on someone; in the 1990s it was also used of euthanasia.[13][14][15]

The verb lives on in Afrikaans help, and it was taken into Negerhollands (help), Berbice Dutch (helpu), Javindo (helpen), Sranan Tongo (hèlpi, yepi) and Caribbean Javanese (hèlep).[16][1]

Timeline

  • 901–1000 – Old Dutch helpon appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.[4][8]
  • c. 1201 – Middle Dutch helpen is recorded in the Rhineland.[9]
  • c. 1240 – Limburg glosses translate Latin suffragari as helpen.[9]
  • 1260 – The oath formula also helpe mi god is recorded.[9]
  • 1612 – Bredero writes the participle gehulpen.[10]
  • 1990s – Helpen is used as a euphemism for euthanasia.[15]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To help, to assist: to act for someone's benefit.[13][1][17] Kun je me even helpen met deze kast? Iemand op de been helpen is to help someone get up.[13]
  2. (of things) To be of use, to have a good effect.[13] Een warm bad helpt tegen spierpijn. Alle beetjes helpen: every little bit counts.[13]
  3. To serve a customer in a shop.[13] Kan ik u helpen?[13]
  4. Iemand aan iets helpen: to provide someone with something: Kun je me aan een pen helpen?[1][10]
  5. (euphemistic) To castrate or sterilise an animal.[13]

Word family

  • helper
  • aanhelpen
  • afhelpen
  • behelpen
  • bijhelpen
  • doorhelpen
  • meehelpen
  • onthelpen
  • ophelpen
  • uithelpen
  • verhelpen
  • voorthelpen
  • vooruithelpen

Usage notes

Iets niet kunnen helpen means not to be to blame for something.[13] Te dom om te helpen donderen is “extremely stupid”.[13] A southern variant hulpen was the usual form in Houwaert.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
  3. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  5. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ a b c Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  7. ^ a b Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  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 e 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 c d e f 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
  11. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  12. ^ Sterkenburg, P. G. J. van (2001), Vloeken: een cultuurbepaalde reactie op woede, irritatie en frustratie, 2nd ed., Den Haag: Sdu
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  14. ^ Beem, H. (1975), Resten van een taal: woordenboekje van het Nederlandse Jiddisch, Assen: Van Gorcum
  15. ^ a b Reinsma, R. (1999), Neologismen, Den Haag: Sdu
  16. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  17. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org