leger

Forms

leger n (plural legers, diminutive legertje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch legher, inherited from Old Dutch legar, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *legr, inherited from Proto-Germanic *legrą (“a lying, place to lie”), a noun built with an r-suffix on the stem of liggen “to lie”, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”).^[1][2][3][4]

The same word is Old Saxon legar, Old High German legar, Old Frisian legor, Old English leger (modern English lair), Old Norse legr and Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐍃 (ligrs, “bed”), with meanings such as “place to lie, position, camp, grave, sickbed, bed”.^[2][3] Modern German Lager has ⟨a⟩ under the influence of Lage “position”;^[2][3][4] De Vries adds that the form spread through Luther, in whose dialect /e/ had become /a/.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch legur “lair” is probably the first part of Legurlo, a wood on the Veluwe named in a record of 855 that survives in a copy from the end of the 9th century, with lo “wood” as second part.^[2][5] Around 1100 the plural leuwon legor “lions' lairs” is found.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch legher meant “a lying, position”: from 1263 Bruges charters have te mans levene ende te lands leghere, “as long as man lives and the land lies”, that is, for ever.^[7][2] It also meant a place to lie, a bed (1477), and in the 16th century the lair of a beast such as a hare and the camp of an army, heyrleger (1573).^[2] Een langh suer legher “a long, hard sickbed” is recorded in 1598, and in some dialects leger meant a grave.^[2][8]

The military sense developed in Dutch itself, from the place where a fighting force lies encamped to the camp, then to the force and finally to the armed forces of a state.^[2] Late Middle Dutch legher could mean a siege (1450–1500); a camp was set up before Asperen in 1530, and by 1596 legher was a synonym of heyrtocht “army”.^[2] Het Leeger van den Staat “the army of the state” is recorded in 1707.^[2] The word replaced the older words for an army, heer² and Middle Dutch armeye from French armée.^[2]

The sense “camp, troop” passed into English as leaguer “siege camp, siege” (1577), into Scots, and into Swedish läger “camp”, from which Finnish leiri comes;^[3][9][1] Sranan Tongo has legre “army”.^[3][9][1] Frisian leger “lair” is also taken from Dutch.^[2][9] Afrikaans has leër.^[1]

Timeline

• 855 – Old Dutch legur is probably part of the place name Legurlo.^[5][2]
• c. 1100 – Leuwon legor “lions' lairs” is recorded.^[2][6]
• 1263 – Middle Dutch legher “a lying, position” appears in Bruges.^[7][2][10]
• 1450–1500 – Legher is used of a siege.^[2]
• 1477 – Legher means a bed.^[2][11]
• 1530 – Leger means an army camp.^[2]
• 1551 – The sense “troop” is first known.^[3]
• 1573 – Leger is recorded for the lair of a hare and for an army camp.^[2]
• 1577 – English leaguer is first recorded.^[3]
• 1596 – Legher means an armed force.^[2][6][12]
• 1598 – Legher means a sickbed.^[2][8]
• 1707 – Het Leeger van den Staat “the army of the state” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. An army, the largest independently operating fighting unit of the armed forces.^[13][1]
2. The land forces, as opposed to the navy and air force.^[13]
3. A great multitude, a host.^[13][1]
4. The form or lair of a wild animal, especially a hare or deer.^[13][8][1]
5. (archaic) A bed, a place to lie.^[8][1]

Word family

• legeren
• belegeren
• belegering
• legerstede
• legerplaats
• legerkamp
• beroepsleger
• huurleger
• dijkleger
• bedleger

Related words

• liggen
• lager
• English lair

Usage notes

Een staand leger is an army kept under arms in peacetime.^[13] The WNT notes that shooting or catching game in its leger was thought unsporting by hunters.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x 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 e f g h Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ a b c Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
5. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
6. ^ a b c Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
7. ^ a b 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
8. ^ a b c d e 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
9. ^ a b c Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
10. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 223
11. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
12. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
13. ^ a b c d e Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers