maand

Forms

maand f (plural maanden, diminutive maandje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch maent, inherited from Old Dutch mānoth, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *mānōþ, inherited from Proto-Germanic *mēnōþ- (“month”).^[2][1][3] The same word is Old Saxon mānuð, Old High German mānōd (modern German Monat), Old Frisian mōnath (modern West Frisian moanne), Old English mōnaþ (modern English month), Old Norse mánaðr (modern Swedish månad) and Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌽𐍉𐌸𐍃 (mēnōþs).^[2][4][3] It is formed from the same stem as maan “moon”, so that a month was first a lunar month.^[2][5][6]

Its source is Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-not-, genitive ⟨*meh₁-n-es-⟩ “moon, month”, which also gave Latin mēnsis (“month”), Ancient Greek μήν (mḗn, “month”), Sanskrit मास् (mā́s), Lithuanian mėnuo, Old Church Slavonic мѣсѧць (měsęcĭ) and Old Irish mí (“month”).^[2][7][3] It is perhaps the “measurer of time”, from the root Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- (“to measure”), to which maal also belongs.^[2][8] The final dental comes from the oblique cases of the Indo-European stem, since it had to be lost in the nominative.^[6][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch mānoth is first found about 1050 in month names, such as hagmanoth, “hay month”, for July.^[2][7][10] A text from Werden of 1151 has in thrin manethen, “in three months”.^[11] In Middle Dutch a Ghent text of 1236 speaks of what is due each month, and a Rhineland text of 1253 advises bloodletting in a certain month.^[12][2]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch the word was masculine and feminine, and the two-syllable form manet was already rare; it is now feminine.^[13][6] The months had native names, which differed from region to region: the Teuthonista lists hardmaynt, sporkel, hoeymaynt and wyntermaynt, and Kiliaan gives lauwmaend, sprokkelmaend, grasmaend and hooymaend.^[13] Some of these, such as louwmaand and sprokkelmaand, are still known.^[6]

Besides a calendar month, maand came to mean any period of about thirty days (1613), and the plural maanden was used for menstruation.^[6] In Surinamese Dutch haar maand hebben still means “to menstruate”.^[14] Rarely the word meant the moon itself, as maan could mean “month”.^[6][13]

Dutch took the word to Negerhollands (maent, maand), Jersey Dutch (mânt) and Sranan Tongo (mânde), and Afrikaans has maand.^[15][1]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – Old Dutch hagmanoth “July”.^[2][10]
• 1151 – In thrin manethen “in three months” in a text from Werden.^[11]
• 1236 – Middle Dutch mand in a Ghent text.^[12]
• 1253 – Manet in a Rhineland text.^[2][12]
• 1278 – The form maent.^[2]
• 1613 – Maand “a period of about thirty days”.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. A month, each of the twelve named periods into which the year is divided: in de maand mei.^[16][17][1]
2. A period of about thirty days: de baby is drie maanden oud.^[16][17][18]

Word family

• maandstond
• louwmaand
• sprokkelmaand
• maandelijks
• maandenlang
• tweemaandelijks
• driemaandelijks
• maandblad
• lentemaand
• grasmaand
• bloeimaand
• zomermaand
• hooimaand

Related words

• maan
• maal
• English month
• German Monat

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 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 Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 237
6. ^ a b c d e f g 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
7. ^ a b Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
8. ^ Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
9. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
10. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
11. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
12. ^ 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
13. ^ a b c Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
14. ^ Donselaar, J. van (1989), Woordenboek van het Surinaams-Nederlands, Muiderberg: Coutinho
15. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
16. ^ a b Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
17. ^ a b Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
18. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org