homp

Forms

homp f (plural hompen, diminutive hompje n)^[1]

Etymology

The word is first recorded in 1573, as ⟨hompt⟩.^[2][3][4] According to the EWN it is inherited from Proto-Germanic *humpa-, beside ⟨*humba-⟩, and all the related words are fairly young;^[2][1] Wiktionary takes it from Middle Low German hump, from Old Saxon *hump (“hill, heap, thick piece”).^[2][1] Related are humpel (“small heap”) (Low German Humpe “part, piece”), West Frisian hompe and himpe, East Frisian hump, English hump (“hump, hunchback”) (1681), Norwegian Nynorsk hump (“bump; hill”) and, with another meaning, German Humpen (“tankard”).^[2][5][6] De Vries & De Tollenaere take the Germanic form as a nasalised form of the one behind heup.^[3]

There are no clear relatives outside Germanic.^[2] Scholars compare Ancient Greek κύμβη (kúmbē, “cup, bowl”) and Middle Irish comm (“bowl, cup”), with a root Proto-Indo-European *kumb⁽ʰ⁾- derived from Proto-Indo-European *keu- (“to bend”), but the EWN finds this hardly certain.^[2][5] De Vries notes that the Scandinavian senses (Old Norse aptr-huppr (“side of an animal at the leg”)) rather suggest a root *(s)kamb- (“to bend”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In 1573 a dictionary records hompt “a piece of bread” and met hompen snijden “to cut into chunks”.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

Kiliaan has the word in 1599.^[5][3] The WNT defines it as something of clumsy, thick shape, and especially a large thick piece cut from food such as bread, cheese or meat; a saying of 1858 runs van eens anders kaas is het licht groote hompen snijden “it is easy to cut big chunks from another man's cheese”.^[7] A derivative is hompel “knob, hump, sandbank”, found mainly in place names.^[5] Danish and Norwegian dialects have homp for a cut piece of bread, cheese or meat, from Dutch or Low German.^[8]

Timeline

• 1573 – Hompt “a piece of bread” is first recorded.^[2][4]
• 1599 – Kiliaan records homp.^[5][3]
• 1858 – The saying about cutting chunks from another man's cheese is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A large thick chunk of food, especially of bread; a hunk.^[9][1][10]

Related words

• heup
• hompel
• English hump

Usage notes

The WNT has a separate homp, the name of a large drinking beaker, from German Humpe.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 167
4. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
5. ^ a b c d e f Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ 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
8. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
9. ^ Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
10. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org