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koekje

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Etymology and origin of the Dutch word koekje

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1285 Middle Dutch diminutive coekelkin More words from the 13th century
Ultimate origins
Proto-Germanic *kōkôDutch -je
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Dutch koek
Dutch koekje
English cookie

Pronunciation

Forms

koekje n (plural koekjes)[1]

Etymology

It is the diminutive from Dutch koek + -je, “small cake”.[2][1][3] The base noun goes back to coeke and Proto-Germanic *kōkan- (“cake”), a purely Germanic word of unclear origin.[4][1] Middle Dutch formed the diminutive with another suffix, as ⟨coekelkin⟩, recorded in 1285, and Old Saxon has kōkelīn.[4] Wiktionary calls it a doublet of English cookie.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

A text of 1285 has mac mi een coekelkin “make me a little cake” and een gherstijn coekelin “a barley cake”.[4] In 1573 Koecsken glosses French petit gasteau “small cake”.[5]

Semantic evolution

Een koekje van iemands eigen deeg “a cake of one's own dough” is recorded in 1726, then said of giving someone what was already his; today it means treating someone as he treats others.[5][6]

American English took the word as cookie “small, flat, sweet cake”, recorded by 1808; whether a Scottish cookie “plain bun” of 1730 is the same word is debated.[7][4] From Dutch it also passed to Negerhollands koeki, Berbice Dutch kuku and Papiamentu kuki (from Dutch or English).[8]

Timeline

  • 1285 – The diminutive coekelkin is recorded.[4]
  • 1573 – Koecsken glosses French petit gasteau.[5]
  • 1726 – Een koekje van uw eigen deeg is recorded.[5]
  • 1808 – American English cookie “small sweet cake” is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A cookie or biscuit, a small flat baked sweet, often eaten with coffee or tea.[6][3][1]
  2. A treat for a dog or cat in the shape of a biscuit.[3]
  3. (computing) A small text file that a website stores on the visitor's computer, so that it can remember login and form data.[3]

Word family

  • koekjestrommel
  • bitterkoekje
  • amandelkoekje

Usage notes

Iemand een koekje van eigen deeg geven is to treat someone the way he treats others.[6][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
  3. ^ a b c d e Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
  4. ^ a b c d e 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
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
Cite this entry

“Koekje.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/nl/koekje. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.

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