krank

Forms

krank (comparative kranker, superlative krankst)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch cranc, inherited from Old Dutch *cranc, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *krank (“weak, sick”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *krankaz (“bent, crooked; weak”).^[1][2][3] The same word is Middle Low German krank (“weak, miserable, sick”), Middle High German kranc (“weak, miserable, slender”) (modern German krank (“sick”)) and Old Frisian kronk (“weak, sick”); Old Norse krankr is a loan from Middle Low German, while krangr (“weak, frail”) has another consonant.^[2][4][5] The adjective is rare in the old Germanic languages.^[3]

It is related to Old High German krankolōn (“to stumble, grow weak”), Old English crincan (“to fall in battle”) and Norwegian krenkja (“to sprain”), and, as is generally assumed, to Old English cringan (modern English cringe) and kring, though the relation of the forms with ⟨k⟩ and ⟨g⟩ is explained in different ways.^[2][6][5] The basic sense was “bent”, which also connects it with krinkel and kronkel;^[2][4][6] “sick” grew out of “weak, bent by weakness”.^[2][4][6] krenken “to hurt, offend” is related.^[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Van Veen dates Middle Dutch cranc to 1236, with the senses “slight, poor, wretched”.^[7] In a Limburg glossary of about 1240 it renders Latin invalidus and imbecillis “weak”, beside crancheit “weakness”, and a Brabant text of 1265 describes a nun as cranc ende bleec “weak and pale”.^[8]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch cranc meant weak in body, mind or numbers (die crancste of an army's weakest troops), and also slight, poor and worthless; in the sense “sick” it was still rare.^[8][3] The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal concludes that “weak” is older than “sick”.^[6] The 16th century has city walls that are kranckste “weakest” (1564) and beer brewed so cranck that it was almost water (1572).^[6] The saying aan een krank touwtje zal men zachtjes trekken “pull a weak string gently” is recorded by Cats in 1632, and De Bo (1873) has de kranke maan “the waning moon”.^[6]

By the late 19th century krank survived mostly in elevated style for “sick” and in phrases such as eene kranke troost “a poor comfort”; the old sense “lowly in honour” lives on in krenken, and the compound krankzinnig is recorded from the 16th century.^[3] In 1907 the sense “weak” was still heard in Breda and on the Zaan, and in Limburg, the Achterhoek and North Holland dialect krank means “sick” or “mad”.^[6][9] It passed into Danish, Norwegian and Swedish as krank “sick”, now obsolete, and English crank was once a beggar who feigned sickness.^[10]

Timeline

• 1236 – Middle Dutch cranc is first recorded.^[7]
• c. 1240 – A Limburg glossary renders Latin invalidus as cranc.^[8]
• 1265 – Cranc ende bleec “weak and pale” is recorded in Brabant.^[8]
• 1572 – Weak beer is called cranck.^[6]
• 1632 – Cats records the saying about the weak string.^[6]
• 1907 – Krank “weak” is reported from Breda and the Zaan.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (archaic) sick, ill.^[11][1]
2. (dated, regional) Weak, feeble; slight, poor.^[6][3]

Word family

• krankheid
• krankzinnig

Related words

• krenken
• kring
• krinkel
• kronkel
• German krank

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
4. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 209
5. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
7. ^ a b Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
8. ^ a b c d 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
9. ^ Weijnen, A. A. (2003), Etymologisch dialectwoordenboek, 2nd ed., Den Haag: Sdu
10. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
11. ^ Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers