lengte

Forms

lengte f (plural lengten or lengtes, diminutive lengtetje n)^[1] The older lengde survives in part of the southern Netherlands, and West Flemish has langde;^[2][2] langte was used beside it into the 18th century but is no longer standard.^[2][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch lengede, inherited from Old Dutch *lengitha, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *langiþu,^[3] inherited from Proto-Germanic *lang-idō- (“length”).^[4][1] The word is formed from lang with the suffix also found in diepte, which caused the umlaut of /a/ to /e/; the VMNW analyses the Middle Dutch word as lenghe (“length”) with the suffix ⟨-de⟩.^[4][5] The same formation is Middle Low German lengede, Middle High German lengede, Old Frisian lengte (West Frisian lingte), Old English lengþ (English length) and Old Norse lengd (Swedish längd).^[4][6] Another suffix, *lang-ī(n)-, gave Middle Dutch ⟨lenghe⟩, lengī (German Länge), lengu and Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌴𐌹 (laggei).^[4][6]

Middle Dutch already had lencte beside lengde, and the form in ⟨-te⟩ replaced the older one on the model of ⟨diepte⟩ and dikte.^[2][6] The geographical sense, “longitude”, follows Latin longitūdō.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in a land register from Oudenaarde of 1285, where a field measures van eere lingden .ii½. bunre, “with a length of two and a half bunders”.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch the word was used of the length of cloth, as in a text of 1360 saying that all cloths must keep their right measure in de langhede ende in de brede, “in length and breadth”;^[8][4] die lencde ende die breide is found at the end of the 14th century, lencte in 1458 and lengte in 1477.^[8][4] In the 17th century it could mean unusual tallness: in a text of 1642 children mock a sheriff for his wanstallighe lengte, “misshapen height”.^[2] Speech also measured distance in lengths: lances lowered op drie lengten verre, “three lengths off” (1626).^[2] The word also came to mean duration, as in tot in lengte van dagen “for many years to come”, and in geography and astronomy longitude.^[9][2]

Het moet uit de lengte of uit de breedte komen “it has to come from somewhere”, said of money that must be found, compares the expense to a piece of cloth from which something has to be cut; it is recorded in the 17th century.^[10] The word was borrowed into Negerhollands as lengte, and Afrikaans has lengte.^[11][1]

Timeline

• 1285 – Lengede is first recorded, in Oudenaarde.^[4][5]
• 1350 – Van der Sijs dates lengte “greatest dimension” to this year.^[12][13]
• 1360 – A cloth regulation uses langhede for the length of cloth.^[8]
• 1458 – The form lencte is recorded.^[4]
• 1477 – The form lengte is recorded.^[4]
• 1626 – Op drie lengten “three lengths off” is recorded.^[2]
• 1641 – The form langde is used in a measurement of houses.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. length: the measure of the longest side of a body; of a person, height.^[9][1]
2. Duration, a span of time.^[9][14]
3. (geography) longitude: the distance of a place from the prime meridian, in degrees.^[9][14]
4. (astronomy) Celestial longitude, measured in degrees along the ecliptic.^[9]

Word family

• golflengte
• lengtecirkel
• lengtegraad
• lengtemaat
• lengteas
• lengterichting
• oosterlengte
• westerlengte
• scheepslengte

Related words

• lang
• lengen
• English length
• German Länge

Usage notes

In zijn volle lengte means with the whole body stretched out.^[9] In West Flemish aan zijne langde komen was to make ends meet, to have enough.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *langiþu
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c 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
6. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
8. ^ a b c Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
9. ^ a b c d e f Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
10. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
11. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
13. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
14. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org