Etymologically
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in

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Pronunciation

Forms

in[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch in, inherited from Old Dutch in, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *in, inherited from Proto-Germanic *in.[2][1][3] Old Dutch also had the adverbs inna and inne “inside”, from Proto-Germanic *inna; in Dutch they have merged with the preposition used as an adverb.[2][4] The same preposition is Old Saxon in, Old High German in (modern German in, with the adverb īn, modern ein-), Old Frisian in, Old English in (modern English in), Old Norse í and Gothic 𐌹𐌽 (in), and the adverb is Gothic 𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰 (inna), Old Norse inni and Old English inne.[2][5][3]

Outside Germanic it is related to Latin in, Ancient Greek ἐν (en) and ἐνί (ení), Old Prussian en and Old Irish in-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁en (“in”).[2][3][6] An ablaut form Proto-Indo-European *h₁on may be behind Old Church Slavonic въ (vŭ) and Russian в (v).[2][3] A derivative of the same root is Proto-Indo-European *h₁enter (“between, inside”), which gave Latin inter and Sanskrit अन्तर् (antár).[2] The Germanic vowel is i instead of the expected e because the word was weakly stressed in the sentence.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is first recorded in the Utrecht baptismal vow of the late 8th century: gelōbistu in got alamehtigen fadaer, “do you believe in God the almighty Father?”[2][7] In the 10th-century Wachtendonck Psalms it is used of place, time and abstract things, for example in himelen “in the heavens” and in stunden sīnro “in his time”.[2][8] The adverb appears there too, in ingān sal “shall go in”.[2]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch in took a dative or an accusative, but without the German distinction between rest and motion; in modern Dutch the accusative became the rule.[4] The old dative survives in set phrases such as in gebreke, in arren moede, in der minne and in aller ijl, and in compounds like indien and inderdaad.[4]

The adverb follows a noun to mark motion into a space, as in de wereld in.[4] Paired with uit it expresses endless repetition: eeu in eeu uit “century in, century out” is recorded in 1653, and jaar in, jaar uit is still current.[4][9] In the 20th century in also came to mean “fashionable”, a sense Papiamentu took from Dutch or English.[1][10] Afrikaans has in, and Negerhollands and Sranan Tongo have ini, from Dutch or English.[1][10]

Timeline

  • 776–800 – The preposition is first recorded, in the Utrecht baptismal vow.[7][2]
  • 901–1000 – The Wachtendonck Psalms use the preposition and the adverbs inna and inne.[2]
  • c. 1100 – The Willeram has indragon “to carry in”.[2]
  • c. 1210 – Middle Dutch in is recorded.[11][12]
  • 1616 – Kaetsbaan in, kaetsbaan uyt “in and out of the tennis court” shows the paired adverbs.[4]
  • 1653 – Eeu in eeu uit “century in, century out” is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Preposition

  1. in: within the limits of a space, a thing or a period: in de kast, in mei.[4][1]
  2. into, with verbs of motion that end inside something.[4]

Adverb

  1. Of direction: inward, into a space;[9] dat wil er bij mij niet in, I cannot believe it.[9]
  2. Of time: jaar in, jaar uit, on and on without end.[9]
  3. Of place: inside.[9]
  4. Of a state: popular, in fashion.[9][1]
  5. Strengthens tegen, op and similar prepositions: tegen de wind in.[9]

Word family

  • indruk
  • ineens
  • inkomen
  • inteelt
  • inderdaad
  • indien
  • inmiddels
  • insgelijks
  • inheems
  • achterin
  • binnenin
  • bovenin
  • binnen
  • innen
  • innig
  • innerlijk
  • English in

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 d e f g h i 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
  5. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
  6. ^ Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  8. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  10. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  11. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 175
  12. ^ 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