ijsberg

Forms

ijsberg m (plural ijsbergen, diminutive ijsbergje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from Dutch ijs (“ice”) + berg (“mountain”), already Middle Dutch ijsberch.^[1][2][3][4] De Vries calls it a typically Dutch word, taken over in German Eisberg, Danish isbjerg and Swedish isberg;^[5][1] Wiktionary treats the German and Danish words as calques.^[5][1] The English word iceberg is a partial loan translation of it.^[6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In a Flemish text of about 1301, broken ice was heaped up so that the floes lay “as if they were ijsbergen”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

In modern Dutch the WNT's first quotation is from 1727.^[7] English iceberg first meant a glacier rising like a hill (1774), and a floating mass of ice from 1820.^[6] Through English it spread to French, Italian, Spanish, Russian айсберг (ajsberg) and many other languages.^[8][1]

Het topje van de ijsberg is the visible part of a much larger, usually unpleasant matter;^[9][3][6] English tip of the iceberg is recorded from 1962.^[9][3][6] In astronomy ijsberg is also a comet with a core of ice.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1301 – Middle Dutch ijsbergen appears in a Flemish text.^[4]
• 1727 – IJsberg appears in the WNT's earliest modern quotation.^[7]
• 1774 – English iceberg is first recorded.^[6]
• 1962 – English tip of the iceberg is first recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. An iceberg, a large mass of ice floating in the sea, often broken off a glacier.^[3][9][1]
2. The small visible part of a much larger hidden whole.^[3][9]
3. (astronomy) A comet with a core of ice and carbon compounds.^[3]

Related words

• ijs
• berg
• English iceberg

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b c d e f g Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
4. ^ a b c Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
5. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers