kind

Forms

kind n (plural kinderen or kinders, diminutive kindje n or kindertje n or kindeken n or kindelijn n)^[1] The colloquial plural is kinders, and dialects have kinder.^[2][1] The plural kijeren was common in Amsterdam and Waterland speech and in the farces of the 17th and 18th centuries.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch kint, inherited from Old Dutch kint, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kind, inherited from Proto-Germanic *kinþa- (“child”).^[3][1][4] The same word is Old Saxon kind and Old High German kind (modern German Kind); Old Frisian kind is a borrowing from Middle High German, the usual Frisian word being bern.^[3][5] English child has a separate origin.^[3][6][7]

The Germanic noun is formed like a past participle, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-to- (“begotten”), the same formation as Old Welsh -gint (“child”).^[3][5][6] A related stem ⟨*kinþi-⟩ gave Old Norse kind (“lineage, kin”) and Gothic 𐌺𐌹𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌽𐍃 (kindins, “governor”), originally “head of a tribe”, and matches Latin gēns (“clan, people”).^[3][5][8] With other vowel grades the same root gave Old English gecynd (“nature, race”), the source of English kind.^[3] All belong to Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget”), the root of kunne and of gignō (“to beget”) and Ancient Greek γένος (génos, “race, family”).^[3][9][5]

The word originally had no plural ending in the nominative and accusative, as in its first Old Dutch record.^[3] In Middle Dutch the bare plural ⟨kint⟩ is rare and the plural takes ⟨-e⟩, ⟨-en⟩ or ⟨-(e)re(n)⟩.^[3][7] The ⟨r⟩ plural, found early in the west, copied neuter nouns such as rund, lam and ei, where the ⟨r⟩ is an old ending.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The 10th-century Wachtendonck Psalms use Old Dutch kint for a son or daughter: kint manno, “the children of men”, mankind, and kindi cunnigis, “to the son of the king”.^[3][10] The sense “young person, child” follows in a rhymed Bible of the late 12th century, where Isaac speaks zo them kinde, “to the child”.^[3][10]

Semantic evolution

Old Dutch already used kint for the Christ child and, figuratively, for a follower or spiritual child.^[10] In Middle Dutch the age at which someone counted as a kint was wider than today, and the word could also mean the young of an animal, as of a goose in 1287.^[7][11] Met kinde werden meant to become pregnant.^[7] The feast of the Holy Innocents on 28 December was alre kinderen dach, “all children's day”, recorded in Mechelen in 1292.^[11]

The adjective kinds first meant “childlike”, as Middle Dutch kinsch in 1240, and “naive” by 1290;^[3] Kiliaan in 1599 records kindsch worden for old people who become like children again.^[3] In Southern Dutch, parents who had a baby were said to een kind kopen, “buy a child”.^[2] Kind noch kraai hebben, to have no relatives at all, is found from the 17th century;^[12] Middle Dutch had kint noch craet, where craet was a crow, the rooster.^[12]

Dutch carried the word to Negerhollands (kind, kint), Skepi Dutch (kente) and Afrikaans kind.^[13][1] The English cant word kinchin “little child” comes from Dutch or German, and French dialects have quinquin as a fond name for small children.^[13]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch kint is recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[3][10][14]
• 1151–1200 – Kint “young person” appears in a rhymed Bible.^[3][10]
• c. 1200 – Middle Dutch kint is recorded in the Rhineland.^[11]
• 1240 – The adjective kinsch “childlike” is recorded.^[3]
• 1287 – Kint is used for the young of a goose.^[11]
• 1292 – Alre kinderen dach, Holy Innocents' Day, is named in Mechelen.^[11]
• 1599 – Kiliaan records kindsch worden “to become childish”.^[3]
• 17th century – Kind noch kraai hebben “to have no relatives” is first found.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. A child, a young human being: Er speelden veel kinderen op het plein.^[15][16][1]
2. A son or daughter, whatever their age: Ze hebben drie kinderen, die allemaal in Utrecht wonen.^[15][1][17]
3. A girl, a young woman.^[15]
4. An affectionate form of address: Kind, wat ben je laat!^[15]
5. (figurative) A product, a brainchild: De nieuwe website was echt zijn kindje.^[15][1]

Word family

• kinds
• kinderachtig
• kinderlijk
• kinderloos
• kindertijd
• kinderjaren
• kinderopvang
• kinderarts
• kinderboek
• kindermeisje
• geesteskind
• gelukskind
• adoptiefkind
• kerstkind
• enakskind

Related words

• kunne
• koning
• German Kind

Usage notes

Het kind met het badwater weggooien, to throw out the baby with the bathwater, is to reject the good together with the bad.^[15] Kind aan huis zijn is to be a frequent visitor somewhere.^[15] A modern curse wishes someone een kind met een koperen kop, a child with a copper head, that one would have to polish all day.^[18]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c 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 c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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
4. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ a b c d Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
8. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 194
9. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
10. ^ a b c d e Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
11. ^ 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
12. ^ a b c Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
13. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
15. ^ a b c d e f g Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
16. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
17. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
18. ^ Sterkenburg, P. G. J. van (2001), Vloeken: een cultuurbepaalde reactie op woede, irritatie en frustratie, 2nd ed., Den Haag: Sdu