Etymologically
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oud

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Pronunciation

Forms

oud (comparative ouder, superlative oudst)[1] Inflected forms often lose the ⟨d⟩ between vowels: ouwe beside oude, and the short form ou.[2] The eastern dialects keep the older old and ald, as in the Saxon and Frisian regions.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch out, inherited from Old Dutch alt, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *ald, inherited from Proto-Germanic *aldaz (“grown, old”).[4][1][5] The Old Dutch form became ⟨oud⟩ in the same way as kalt became koud.[4] The same word is Old Saxon ald, Old High German alt (modern German alt), Old Frisian ald (modern West Frisian âld), Old English eald (modern English old) and ⟨alt⟩ in Crimean Gothic.[4][6][5] Only derivatives such as Old Norse aldr (“age”) keep the stem in the North, where the ordinary word for “old” was gamall; Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹𐍃 (alþeis, “old”) is formed with another suffix, whose ⟨þ⟩ matches that of the Germanic comparative seen in ellri (“older”).[4][6][7]

The adjective was originally the past participle of a verb, Proto-Germanic *alaną (“to grow; to nourish”), continued by alan (“to nourish”) and ala (“to bring up”), so its first sense was “grown up”.[4][5][8] The root is Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to grow, nourish”): the participle *h₂el-tó- also gave Latin altus (“high”) (literally “grown tall”) and adultus (“grown up”), and the verb survives in alō (“to nourish”) and Old Irish ailid (“nourishes”).[4][5][7] Kroonen adds alt (“height, cliff”) and Welsh allt (“hill”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is first found in place names: the Old Dutch Aldenselen, modern Oldenzaal in Overijssel, is recorded in 893 in a copy of 1222, and the Oudnederlands Woordenboek lists place names with ald- from the 9th century on.[4][9][10] As an ordinary adjective it appears about 1100 in the Egmond Williram, in ouaz niwa ande ald, fruit “new and old”.[4][9] Middle Dutch out is recorded in 1236 in Ghent in van ouden tiden “since long ago”, and in 1265–1270 a text speaks of a little woman who was “old and weak”.[4][11]

Semantic evolution

The oldest records already show the two main uses that the modern language keeps apart: of things, “existing for a long time, from earlier days”, and of people, “having lived long”, as opposed to the young.[9][11] In the 13th century the comparative and superlative distinguished the elder of two people with the same name and the eldest son or daughter of a family, a use that gave surnames such as Ouwekees and Oudejans.[11][2] With a number the word gives a person's or thing's age, as in a 1573 Hoe oudt is sy? “how old is she?”.[2] The modern dictionaries add “familiar, of long standing” and “former, no longer valid”, and of bread “stale”.[12][1]

Many sayings use the word: zo oud als Methusalem “as old as Methuselah”, after the biblical patriarch, is found from the 16th century, and een oude rot in de val is said when a sly, experienced person is caught out at last.[13] Surinamese Dutch calls New Year's Eve oud op nieuw.[14] The word went into Negerhollands (oud, ouw), Berbice Dutch (hau) and Sranan Tongo (Sranan Tongo owru), and lives on in Afrikaans oud, ou.[15][1]

Timeline

  • 893 – Old Dutch Aldenselen (Oldenzaal) is recorded, in a copy of 1222.[4][10]
  • c. 1100 – Ald “old” in the Egmond Williram.[4][9]
  • 1236 – Middle Dutch van ouden tiden “since long ago”, in Ghent.[4][11]
  • 1268 – Sinen ousten broeder “his eldest brother”, in a Holland charter.[11]
  • 1573 – Hoe oudt is sy? “how old is she?”.[2]
  • 1644 – The intensified aloud “very old” appears.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of the stated age: hoe oud is je zus?, how old is your sister?[12][2]
  2. old, having lived a long time, aged.[12][1]
  3. Having existed or been in use for a long time; ancient, worn: een oud huis, an old house.[12][1][16]
  4. Long known, familiar: de oude garde, the old guard.[12]
  5. Former, earlier, no longer valid: een oude vlam, a former sweetheart.[12][16]
  6. Of bread: stale.[1]

Word family

  • oudbakken
  • ouder
  • oudheid
  • ouderling
  • oudroest
  • ouderwets
  • oudere
  • ouderejaars
  • oudje
  • verouderen
  • ouwelijk
  • oudejaar
  • aloud
  • ouderdom

Usage notes

Oud en nieuw is the turn of the year, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.[12] Oude bomen verplant men niet, “one doesn't transplant old trees”, says that old people should not have to move house.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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
  5. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  8. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
  9. ^ a b c d Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  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 c d e 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
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  13. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  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 WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org