op

Forms

op^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch op, up (also oppe, uppe), inherited from Old Dutch up, inherited from Proto-Germanic *upp (“up, upwards”).^[2][1][3] Kroonen reconstructs an ablauting adverb Proto-Germanic *eup ~ *upp, related to Proto-Germanic *uba (“under, above”); its geminate arose in the locative *uppai, from an older Proto-Indo-European *up-noi.^[4] The same word is Old Saxon up (beside uppa (“above”)), Old Frisian up, op, Old English upp (modern English up) and Old Norse upp; with a long vowel Old High German ūf (modern German auf) and ūp; and with another vowel grade Gothic 𐌹𐌿𐍀 (iup, “upwards”) and 𐌹𐌿𐍀𐌰 (iupa, “above”).^[3][5][4][2] Kroonen explains the long vowel of the Old High German form as monosyllabic lengthening.^[4]

Further origin is uncertain.^[2][6] The usual comparison is with Latin sub (“under”), Ancient Greek ὑπό (hupó, “under”), Sanskrit उप (úpa, “towards”) and Old Irish fo, from Proto-Indo-European *upó, but there /p/ should have shifted to /f/, as it did in Gothic 𐌿𐍆 (uf, “under”) and in the words related to over.^[2][3] The difference in meaning has been bridged with a basic sense “from below up towards”, and the Germanic double ⟨pp⟩ has been explained from PIE *-pn-* by Kluge's law.^[3][2][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch up is first found as an adverb meaning “higher up” in the Utrecht church name Vpkirika, literally “the upper church”, recorded in 777 in a copy of the late 11th century; in Old Dutch it survives as such only in place names.^[2][8][9] The Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century already join it to verbs, as in Heue up hende thine “lift up your hands”.^[2] The preposition appears in the Rhyming Bible of 1151–1200, in Up einer bruggen “on a bridge” over the Danube.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Although op was first an adverb meaning “upward”, its main use since Middle Dutch has been as a preposition for contact with the top or surface of something.^[7][10] Middle Dutch could also use boven where modern Dutch has op.^[10] In Middle Dutch the preposition took both the dative and the accusative without distinction.^[7] The 16th century still had oppe, and in Flanders the old form up later gave ip.^[7]

From the surface the preposition spread to time (op maandag), manner, purpose, hostile direction and fixed ratios.^[11][1] The adverb took on the senses “out of bed”, “exhausted” and “used up”.^[11][12] In Surinamese Dutch op stands before place names where standard Dutch has in or te.^[13] The phrase op heterdaad “in the act” goes back to op de heete daet (1603) and is first found with betrappen “to catch” in 1734.^[2]

Dutch op passed into Negerhollands (op, hoppo “to get up”), Berbice Dutch (hopu), Papiamentu (òp), Sranan Tongo (opo) and Petjo.^[14][1]

Timeline

• 777 – Vpkirika “the upper church” in Utrecht, in a copy of the late 11th century.^[2][9]
• 901–1000 – The Wachtendonck Psalms have upheffen “to lift up”.^[2]
• 1151–1200 – The Old Dutch preposition appears in the Rhyming Bible.^[2]
• 1200 – The Middle Dutch preposition is recorded in Limburg, in a damaged Servatius fragment; the next record is from Ghent around 1210.^[15]
• 1236 – The Middle Dutch adverb is recorded in Ghent.^[15]
• 1603 – Op de heete daet “straight away, in the act”.^[2]
• 1734 – Op heter daad betrappen “to catch in the act”.^[2]

Meanings

Preposition

1. on, upon: in contact with the top or surface of something: Het boek ligt op de tafel.^[11][1][7]
2. At, in, of a less concrete place: op school, op kantoor.^[1][11]
3. On, of a day or point in time: op dinsdag.^[11][1]
4. Of a fixed ratio: in, out of: drie op de vijf.^[11][1]
5. Against, at, of a hostile movement: het niet hebben op iemand “to dislike someone”.^[11]
6. Of manner, as in op slag “at once”.^[11]
7. Of aim or purpose: op iets uit zijn “to be after something”.^[11]

Adverb

1. up, upward: de trap op.^[11][1]
2. Up, out of bed: Ben je al op?^[11][12]
3. Worn out, exhausted.^[11][12]
4. Used up, finished: De melk is op.^[11][1]
5. As the particle of separable verbs: opbellen, opstaan.^[1][12]

Word family

• opeens
• volop
• bovenop
• rechtop
• verderop
• hardop
• opbellen
• opstaan
• opgaan
• opheffen
• oppassen
• opklaren
• heterdaad

Related words

• boven
• over
• English up
• German auf

Usage notes

Southern Dutch writers long used op after French sur, as in een studie op een schrijver for over, and for measurements;^[16] De Vreese condemned both as gallicisms.^[16]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 d Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
5. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
6. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 273
7. ^ a b c d e 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
8. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; 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 Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
12. ^ a b c d WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
13. ^ Donselaar, J. van (1989), Woordenboek van het Surinaams-Nederlands, Muiderberg: Coutinho
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ a b 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
16. ^ a b Vreese, Willem de (1899), Gallicismen in het Zuidnederlandsch, Gent: Siffer