Etymologically
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nemen

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈneːmə(n)/[1]

Forms

nemen (past nam, plural namen; past participle genomen)[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch nēmen, inherited from Old Dutch neman, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *neman, inherited from Proto-Germanic *nemaną (“to take”).[2][1] The same verb is Old Saxon niman, Old High German neman (modern German nehmen), Old Frisian nema (modern West Frisian nimme), Old English niman, Old Norse nema and Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (niman), all meaning “to take” or senses grown from it, such as Old Norse “to learn”, that is, “to take in”.[2][3][4] In English the verb died out and was replaced by take, except for the archaic nim (“to pilfer”).[5][2]

The EWN, De Vries and Van Veen relate it to Ancient Greek νέμω (némō, “to distribute; to graze”), Latin numerus (“number”) (see nummer) and Lithuanian nãmas (“dwelling”), from a root Proto-Indo-European *nem- (“to allot”), so that the Germanic verb would first have meant “to take as one's share”.[2][3][6][7] Wiktionary similarly explains the meaning from a middle voice “to allot to oneself”.[1] Kroonen instead follows Kortlandt: the verb was back-formed from a perfective *ga-neman-, whose /n/ belonged at first to the prefix, going back to Proto-Indo-European *kom-h₁em-e-, the root of Latin emō (“to take, buy”) and Lithuanian imti (“to take”); on this view it has nothing to do with the Greek verb.[4] Franck–Van Wijk already linked the verb with both groups, though they found the initial /n/ hard to explain.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch neman appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, as in thia ic ne nam thuo fargalt, “what I did not take, I then paid back”, and untes genuman uuerthe mano, “until the moon is taken away”.[2][9] Around 1100 the Egmond Williram has nu willon ich hine ze mer neman, “now I will take him to me”.[2][9] Middle Dutch nemen is recorded in Limburg around 1200, meaning “to take, seize, appropriate”, “to choose, appoint” and “to receive”.[10][2]

Semantic evolution

The 13th-century texts use nemen for grasping with the hand, for capturing a person or prey, for choosing, and for accepting and receiving.[10] Middle Dutch also had spise nemen, to take food, and the verb was used for taking medicine.[5] The verb forms many fixed phrases with a noun and a preposition, such as in acht nemen “to observe” and in aanmerking nemen “to take into account”.[11]

Weten te geven en te nemen, to know how to give and take, is known since the 16th century, and iemand nemen meant to fool someone.[12] In Belgian Dutch, wat zult ge nemen? “what will you have?” follows French prendre.[13] Surinamese Dutch een man nemen or een vrouw nemen means to enter a lasting union, after Sranan teki.[14] The verb passed into Negerhollands (neem) and Skepi Dutch (nemek), and it lives on in Afrikaans neem.[15][1]

Timeline

  • 901–1000 – Old Dutch neman appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.[16][9]
  • c. 1100 – The Egmond Williram has ze mer neman “to take to me”.[2][9]
  • c. 1200 – Middle Dutch nemen is first recorded, in Limburg.[10]
  • c. 1300 – Medecinen nemen, to take medicine, is recorded.[5]
  • 16th century – Weten te geven en te nemen is first recorded.[12]
  • 1557 – Nempt doch eenen stoel “do take a chair”.[11]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To take hold of, grasp: Hij nam de tas van tafel.[17][1][11]
  2. To consume, take food, drink or medicine: Neem nog een kop koffie.[17][1]
  3. To get, take for oneself: een vrije dag nemen.[17]
  4. To accept, put up with: dat neem ik niet.[17]
  5. To do, carry out (with a noun): een foto nemen.[17]
  6. To use, choose; to take a route or a means of transport: We nemen de trein.[17][1]
  7. To understand or treat in a certain way: iets ernstig nemen.[17][1]
  8. (vulgar) To have sex with.[17][1]

Word family

  • aannemen
  • afnemen
  • innemen
  • opnemen
  • overnemen
  • ondernemen
  • ontnemen
  • vernemen
  • waarnemen
  • deelnemen
  • meenemen
  • toenemen
  • beetnemen
  • nemer
  • inname
  • nummer
  • nomade
  • English nim
  • German nehmen

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 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 Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  4. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  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. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 261
  8. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  9. ^ a b c d Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ a b c 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
  12. ^ a b Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  13. ^ Vreese, Willem de (1899), Gallicismen in het Zuidnederlandsch, Gent: Siffer
  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. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers