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hoeveel

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Etymology and origin of the Dutch word hoeveel

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1282, Middle Dutch (Wateringen, Holland)
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic *hwō,*felu
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Dutch hoe
Dutch hoeveel

Pronunciation

  • /ɦuˈveːl/[1]

Forms

hoeveel[1] It is also written separately, hoe veel, as Kiliaan still did in 1588.[1][2] Middle Dutch also had hoevele and hoevoel.[3]

Etymology

It is from Dutch hoe + veel, a univerbation already made in Middle Dutch as hoevele.[4][2][1] The interrogative adverb joined with the indefinite numeral and gave an interrogative numeral, which in a few early texts also works as an adverb.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest record is in a Holland charter from Wateringen of 1282: des ic niet ne weet hoe vele, “of which I do not know how much”.[4] A Nederrijn text of 1270 already uses it as an adverb, “to what extent”: man should consider in his heart how much better human nature is than the nature of animals.[4]

Semantic evolution

The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal separates its use before a plural noun, “what number”, from its use before a collective noun or a mass, “what amount”, as in a question about how much money a student gets from his father.[2] It can stand alone with a plural left out, and then takes the plural hoevelen for persons: met hoevelen zijt gij wel? (1853).[2] In older Dutch the numeral could stay uninflected with a verb in the singular, as in 1688.[2] Alone, it can also mean a sum of money, as in a text of 1582, or how much one has been through, as in an exclamation of 1904 on all a couple had suffered.[2]

The word was taken into Negerhollands (hoeveel, huwēl) and Berbice Dutch (hufele).[6][1] Afrikaans has hoeveel.[1]

Timeline

  • 1270 – Middle Dutch hoe vele as an adverb, “to what extent”.[4]
  • 1282 – Hoe vele “how much” in a charter from Wateringen.[4]
  • 1456 – Hoevoell gelts “how much money” in a Holland text.[3]
  • 1582 – Voor hoe veel “for how much (money)”.[2]
  • 1588 – Kiliaan gives hoe veel for Latin quot and quantum.[2]
  • 1853 – Met hoevelen zijt gij wel? “how many of you are there?”[2]

Meanings

Determiner

  1. how many, what number: hoeveel broers heb jij?[7][1][2]
  2. how much, what amount: hoeveel melk moet erin?[7][1][2]
  3. To what extent, how much: je weet niet hoeveel ik aan je denk.[8][4]

Pronoun

  1. How many people, with the plural hoevelen: met hoevelen waren jullie?[1][2]

Word family

  • hoeveelheid
  • hoeveelste

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 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 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
  5. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
  6. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  7. ^ a b Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  8. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
Cite this entry

“Hoeveel.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/nl/hoeveel. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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