maaien

Forms

maaien^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch mâyen (also maeyen, meyen), inherited from Old Dutch *māien, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *māan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *mēan- (“to mow”).^[2][1][3] The Germanic verb was a reduplicating strong verb, and Middle Dutch still has a strong past participle, ghemaeyen “mown”, in a text of 1485.^[2][4] The same verb is Middle Low German meien (the source of Swedish maja), Old High German māen (modern German mähen), Old Frisian miā and Old English māwan (modern English mow); Kroonen explains the different glides of these forms as arising later between vowels.^[2][3][5]

It is related to Ancient Greek ἀμάω (amáō, “to reap, mow”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂meh₁- (“to cut, mow, reap”), and perhaps to Latin metō (“to mow, reap”), Breton mediñ and Welsh medi (“to reap”).^[2][5][6] From the same stem come the old word ⟨made⟩ “meadow” (see made), English meadow and perhaps madelief.^[2][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest record is a Limburg glossary of about 1240, where maien renders Latin demetere “to mow, reap”.^[8][2][9] A Ghent text of 1276 sets out what the mower owes when the marsh is mown.^[8]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch the verb meant cutting grass or crops, the land or the dyke being mown, and by transfer reaping: men moet sayen: lichte men saelt an iemen mayen “one must sow; perhaps one will reap it from someone” (1301).^[4] Human life could be mown like grass, as by Death with his scythe (1401).^[4] The pairing with zaaien “to sow” gave proverbs, many from the language of the Bible: wint sellen si saeyen ende storm sellen si maeyen “they shall sow the wind and reap the storm” (about 1475).^[2][10] In Flanders and Brabant the dialects use the verb only for cutting grass with a scythe; the standard language also uses it for corn.^[10]

A form maden also occurs (1588), formed like bloeden beside bloeien.^[10] Modern Dutch also uses the verb for swinging the arms or legs about in blows or kicks, and of horses that lift the forelegs sideways at a trot.^[11][4] The idiom iemand het gras voor de voeten wegmaaien “to cut the grass from under someone's feet” means to forestall someone, to snatch a chance from him.^[12][10]

Danish meje, Norwegian meie and Swedish meja come from Dutch or Low German;^[13][1] Negerhollands maej and Sranan Tongo mai are from Dutch, and Afrikaans has maai.^[13][1]

Timeline

• c. 1240 – Maien glosses Latin demetere in a Limburg glossary.^[8][9]
• 1276 – A Ghent text speaks of mowing the marsh.^[8]
• 1301 – Mayen is used figuratively for reaping a reward.^[4]
• 1401 – Life is mown with a scythe, in a text from Holland or Flanders.^[4]
• c. 1475 – Wint sellen si saeyen ende storm sellen si maeyen “they shall sow the wind and reap the storm”.^[2]
• 1485 – The strong participle ghemaeyen “mown” is still recorded.^[2]
• 1588 – The variant maeden is recorded.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. To mow, to cut grass or crops from a field.^[11][1][10]
2. To hit or kick with wide, sweeping movements.^[11]
3. Of a horse: to throw the forelegs out sideways at a trot.^[11]

Word family

• maaier
• grasmaaien
• maaimachine
• maaitijd
• maaiveld
• afmaaien
• maaiveldhoogte

Related words

• madelief
• English mow
• German mähen

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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 Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
5. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
7. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
8. ^ a b c d 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 Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
10. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ a b c d Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
12. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
13. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)