lichaam

Forms

lichaam n (plural lichamen, diminutive lichaampje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch lichame, inherited from Old Dutch lichamo, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *līkahamō, inherited from Proto-Germanic *līkahamô (“body, bodily frame”).^[2][1][3] It is a compound of lijk “(dead) body” and haam “covering”, so originally “flesh-covering”.^[2][4][5] The same compound is Old Saxon līkhamo, Old High German līhhamo, Old Frisian līkhama, Old English līchoma and Old Norse líkami.^[2][5][6]

In the same sense the Reimbibel has līknamo, like Old High German līhhinamo (modern German Leichnam “corpse”), in which the first part is a weak by-form of the word for body.^[2][3] The word soon ceased to be felt as a compound, and it was simplified twice: ⟨k⟩ and ⟨h⟩ merged into ⟨ch⟩, as in the place name Walcheren, and the long vowel of the first syllable was shortened, as in Lochem.^[2] Franck and Van Wijk think it was first a poetic, epic word, and De Vries compares the Old English poetic flæsc-homa “flesh-covering” and bānhūs (“bone-house”).^[6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Leiden Willeram, written in Egmond around 1100, has lichamo for the body, and once for the trunk as opposed to the head: thaz hoiuet ande then lichamo “the head and the body”.^[2][3][7] In Middle Dutch it first appears in Ghent in 1236, in suuerhede uan lechamen “purity of body”, and the Bernardus glossary of 1240 has ligame.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch the word meant the body, a dead body and a person.^[8] People swore by the body of the Lord, as in a Bruges text of 1292, and lichame was also the host, the body of Christ in the Eucharist.^[8][9] It could also mean the trunk or the belly.^[9] The Middle Dutch dictionary finds the line between lichame and lijf hard to draw: lijf was probably the ordinary word.^[9]

In legal phrases of the 16th century punishment was laid aen sijnen lichame “on his body”, where only lijf is used today.^[10] Die zijn lichaam bewaart, bewaart geen rotte appelen, “whoever looks after his body is not keeping rotten apples”, is recorded in the 18th century.^[11][10] Modern senses include a public or legal body, such as een wetgevend lichaam “a legislative body”, and a body of matter in physics.^[12] In Dutch algebra lichaam is a field, in Belgium a division ring.^[1] Van der Sijs counts the sense “corpse” as a loan of meaning from English.^[13]

The word lives on in Afrikaans liggaam and was borrowed into Negerhollands as lichaam and likam;^[1][14] Indonesian badan took over its sense “organisation”.^[1][14]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Old Dutch lichamo appears in the Leiden Willeram.^[2][7]
• 1151–1200 – The Reimbibel has the variant līknamo.^[2][3]
• 1236 – Middle Dutch lechamen is recorded in Ghent.^[2][8]
• 1240 – The Bernardus glossary has ligame.^[2]
• 1292 – A Bruges text forbids swearing by the Lord's body.^[8]
• 1517 – A punishment is to be carried out on the offender's body.^[10]
• 1570 – The bodies of the executed are to stay at the place of execution.^[10]
• 1727 – The saying about looking after one's body and rotten apples is recorded.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. body, the bones, flesh and organs of a human or animal: Na de lange wandeling deed zijn hele lichaam pijn.^[12][1][15]
2. A dead body, corpse.^[1][15]
3. A public or legal body, an institution or organisation: een openbaar lichaam.^[12][1]
4. (physics) A body, a mass of matter with a definite shape.^[12][15]
5. (algebra) In the Netherlands a field, in Belgium a division ring.^[1]

Word family

• antilichaam
• bovenlichaam
• hemellichaam
• lichaamsbeweging
• lichaamsbouw
• lichaamsdeel
• lichaamseigen
• lichaamsfunctie
• lichaamsgebrek
• lichaamsholte
• lichaamskracht
• lichaamsoefening
• lichaamstaal
• lichaamstemperatuur
• lichaamsvocht
• lichamelijk
• belichamen

Related words

• lijk
• haam
• lijf
• German Leichnam

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 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 Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
4. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
5. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
8. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b c Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
10. ^ 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
11. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
12. ^ a b c d Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
14. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ a b c WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org