lekker

Forms

lekker (comparative lekkerder, superlative lekkerst)^[1] Beside lekker stands lakker, used especially in Brabant.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch lecker (“greedy for good food; tasty”), derived from the Middle Dutch verb lecken (“to lick”), a variant of likken.^[3][4][5] Kroonen reconstructs the adjective as Proto-Germanic *likkra- (“delicious”), formed with the suffix ⟨-ra-⟩ from the iterative verb *likkōną (“to lick”), so that it first meant “lickable”.^[6][1] De Vries and De Tollenaere compare the suffix in Latin macer (“lean”) and wakker.^[7] The same adjective is Middle Low German lecker and Middle High German lecker (modern German lecker); Swedish läcker was borrowed from Middle Low German.^[3][4]

Beside the adjective Middle Dutch had a noun lecker (“glutton, rascal”), like Old High German lecchāri, an agent noun of the same verb.^[4][5][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is first found in derivatives in the Bernardus glossary of 1240: leckerheit “gluttony” and leckere “glutton, lecher”.^[3] The adjective follows in 1270–1290 in the sense “greedy”: geen man en is so lecker als die giene die quaden adem heuet “no one is as greedy as he who has bad breath”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The first sense was “fond of good food”, and by extension “lustful”.^[3][4] The sense “pleasant to the taste” appears in 1350–1400, as in daer ic cnauwe iet leckers “where I might nibble something tasty”, and der lecker spise “that tasty food” (1393–1402).^[3][8] The old sense “fastidious, spoiled” was still in use around 1600 but became obsolete in early modern Dutch; it survives in lekkerbek “gourmet” (1659) and in verlekkerd “eager”.^[3][2]

From taste the word spread to anything agreeable, a pleasant smell, a nice feeling, an attractive person, and in the Netherlands to health: niet lekker zijn is to feel unwell, and colloquially to be not quite right in the head.^[9][10][1] The proverb lekker is maar een vinger lang is explained by the length of the tongue.^[11][2] Stoett explains kiplekker “fit as a fiddle” as a pun on the two senses, healthy and tasty like a chicken.^[12] In Limburg dialects lekker is also the tongue.^[13][14]

Danish lækker, Norwegian lekker and Swedish läcker come from Dutch or Low German, Javanese has lèker, and through Afrikaans lekker the word reached South African English.^[15][1]

Timeline

• 1240 – The Bernardus glossary has leckerheit “gluttony” and leckere “glutton”.^[3]
• 1270–1290 – The adjective lecker “greedy” is recorded.^[3]
• 1350 – Lecker “pleasant to the taste” is first dated.^[8][16]
• 1548 – Adams lecker imbijt “Adam's tasty snack” is quoted.^[2]
• 1659 – Ioffrou Leckerbeck shows the compound lekkerbek.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. tasty, delicious: pleasant to the taste or smell: Wat ruikt die soep lekker!^[10][9][1]
2. (Netherlands) nice, pleasant, comfortable: een lekker warm bad.^[10][9][1]
3. (colloquial) physically attractive, sexy.^[10][1]
4. (Netherlands, usually negative) well, in good health: Ik voel me niet lekker.^[1][16]
5. (Netherlands, informal, negative) sane: niet lekker zijn, to be not quite right in the head.^[9][1]

Adverb

1. to one's own satisfaction; also expressing glee: lekker puh!^[10]
2. (ironic) very much: dank je lekker! “no thanks!”.^[10]

Word family

• lekkernij
• lekkers
• lekkerbek
• verlekkerd
• kiplekker

Related words

• likken
• German lecker
• English lick

Usage notes

Wiktionary also lists a rare noun lekker “leaker”, formed from lekken “to leak” with -er.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. ^ a b c d Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
6. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
7. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 223
8. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
9. ^ a b c d Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
10. ^ a b c d e f Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
11. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
12. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
13. ^ Debrabandere, Frans (2011), Limburgs etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van de woorden uit beide Limburgen, Zwolle: Wbooks
14. ^ Weijnen, A. A. (2003), Etymologisch dialectwoordenboek, 2nd ed., Den Haag: Sdu
15. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
16. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org