Etymologically
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natuurlijk

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Pronunciation

  • /naːˈtyrlək/, [naːˈtyːrlək][1]

Forms

natuurlijk (comparative natuurlijker, superlative natuurlijkst)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch natuurlijc, formed from Dutch natuur + -lijk in Middle Dutch: the noun natuur with the adjective suffix that also makes vriendelijk and eerlijk.[2][1][3] The adverb was ⟨natuurlike⟩.[2][4] The noun came into Middle Dutch in the early 13th century from Latin nātūra (“nature, the course of things, character”), perhaps partly through Old French nature; the Latin noun is made from nātus (“born”), the participle of nāscor (“to be born”).[5][6]

Adjectives of the same make appear in the neighbouring languages: Old High German natūrlīh, Middle High German natūrlich (modern German natürlich) and Middle Low German natūrlīk.[4][7] Verdam compares them with Latin nātūrālis and French naturel.[4] The informal tuurlijk “of course” is a clipping of the adverb.[8][9][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adverb comes first: naturleke glosses Latin naturaliter “by nature” in a Limburg word list of 1240.[2] The adjective follows in a text from the Lower Rhine of 1270, which says that no warmth is so natural to a child as that under the wing of its naturliker moder, its own mother, and in West Flemish texts of 1285–1287, where naturliker clergien is natural science.[2]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch used the word for what concerns nature, what nature produces or prescribes, and what is innate; a natuurlike dach was a full day and night of 24 hours, and natuurlijc recht was natural law.[4][2] Of children it first meant “one's own” as against adopted, a sense the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal calls obsolete by the 17th century, and then “born out of wedlock”, as in a 1601 mention of natuyrlijcke broeder Justinus of Nassau, the illegitimate brother of Prince Maurice.[8] A ruler could be one's natuerlijcken prince, one's lord by birth (1566).[8]

The adverb meant “by nature” and “of itself”.[8] In the 19th century it came to mean “as one would expect”, and by 1865 a bare natuurlijk could answer a question whose answer was obvious, the main use of the word in speech today.[8][10] Mathematics took it up in natuurlijke getallen and the natuurlijke logaritme.[10] The clipped tuurlijk is recorded from 1952.[8]

Dutch speakers took the adverb to the East and West Indies: Negerhollands had natuurlik and natierlig, Petjo and Javindo natierlek, and older Indonesian natirlek “of course”.[11][1]

Timeline

  • 1240 – The adverb naturleke glosses Latin naturaliter in Limburg.[2]
  • 1270 – The adjective appears on the Lower Rhine, in naturliker moder “natural mother”.[2]
  • 1373 – Naturlic recht, natural law, allows a man to defend his life.[4]
  • 1566 – A natuerlijcken prince is a ruler by birth.[8]
  • 1601 – Natuyrlijcke broeder “illegitimate brother”.[8]
  • 1865 – A bare natuurlijk answers an obvious question.[8]
  • 1952 – The clipping tuurlijk is first recorded.[8]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Relating to nature.[10]
  2. Produced by nature, not artificial: natuurlijk gas from the ground, a natuurlijke grens formed by a river or mountains.[10][3]
  3. In keeping with nature, innate; unaffected, unforced: Ze lachte heel natuurlijk.[10][8]
  4. As may be expected, normal: Dat is een natuurlijke reactie.[10]
  5. (mathematics) Simple, basic, in natuurlijke getallen “natural numbers” and natuurlijke logaritme “natural logarithm”.[10]
  6. (euphemistic) Of a child: born out of wedlock.[10][8]

Adverb

  1. naturally, in a natural way.[1][8]
  2. of course, obviously: Natuurlijk kom ik morgen.[1][3][10]

Word family

  • tuurlijk
  • natuurlijkheid
  • onnatuurlijk
  • natuurlijkerwijs
  • doodnatuurlijk

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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
  3. ^ a b c WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
  4. ^ a b c d e Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  5. ^ 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
  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 e f g h i j k l m 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
  9. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  11. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)