lijm

Forms

lijm m (plural lijmen, no diminutive)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch lijm, inherited from Old Dutch *līm, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *līm, inherited from Proto-Germanic *līma-, originally “lime”.^[2][1] The same word is Old Saxon līm, Old High German līm (modern German Leim), Old Frisian līm (modern West Frisian lym), Old English līm (modern English lime “lime, bird-lime”) and Old Norse lím (modern Swedish lim); with ablaut it stands beside *laima-, whence leem.^[2][3][4]

Outside Germanic the only direct cognate is Latin līmus (“mud, slime”).^[2][3] Both go back to Proto-Indo-European *lei-mo-, an /m/ derivative of the root *h₂leiH- (“to smear, to stick”), to which probably also belong linō (“to smear”) and Ancient Greek ἀλίνω (alínō, “to smear”).^[2][5][1] The root may instead have had an s-mobile, *(s)lei-, in which case slijk and slijm are related too.^[2][3] The VMNW alone takes the Middle Dutch word from the Latin noun.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Middle Dutch lim, lijm is first recorded around 1240 in a Limburg glossary, where it renders Latin limus “mud”, viscus “bird-lime”, glutorium “glue” and conglutinatio “sticking together”.^[6][2][7] The verb limen “to glue” appears in the same source.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The EWN says that lijm first named a binder made of wet loam, lime or other material.^[2] Middle Dutch used it for mud and clay, for slime and spittle, and for glue: in 1287 a West Flemish text says that earthly goods are nothing but lijm, mud, and a Holland text of 1351 has fish living on the mud, the slime of a snail and bird-lime.^[6][8]

From the 16th century the sense “glue” prevails.^[9] The WNT has bird-lime on lime twigs in 1582, a gum that carpenters use instead of Lijm in 1608, and a figure of 1635: Het gelt is machtig lijm, “money is a powerful glue”.^[9] The Bible translation of 1688 uses it for asphalt, used as mortar with bricks.^[9]

Dutch spread the word widely in Asia and the Caribbean: Indonesian lem, lim, Javanese lim, Papiamentu leim, Sranan Tongo lèim and Negerhollands liem, all “glue”;^[10][1] Afrikaans has lym.^[10][1]

Timeline

• c. 1240 – Middle Dutch lim, lijm glosses Latin words for mud, bird-lime and glue in Limburg.^[6][2][7]
• 1287 – A West Flemish text calls earthly goods nothing but lijm, mud.^[6]
• 1351 – A Holland text uses lijm for mud, a snail's slime and bird-lime.^[8]
• 1582 – Bird-lime on lijmroeykens, lime twigs.^[9]
• 1608 – A gum used by carpenters instead of Lijm.^[9]
• 1635 – Het gelt is machtig lijm, “money is a powerful glue”.^[9]
• 1688 – The Bible translation uses lijm for asphalt.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. glue, adhesive: a sticky substance made from animal or synthetic material, used to join things.^{[11][1][9][12]} Met een beetje lijm zat het oor weer aan het kopje.^{[11][1][9][12]}

Word family

• lijmen
• lijmerig
• lijmig
• lijmpot
• lijmstok
• vogellijm
• vislijm
• houtlijm

Related words

• leem
• slijm
• English lime
• German Leim

Usage notes

A few 17th-century poets use lijm for a bird's song, as in der vog'len rechte lijm (1617); the WNT can only guess at its origin.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
5. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
6. ^ 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
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 Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
10. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
11. ^ a b Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
12. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org