peil

Forms

peil n (plural peilen, diminutive peiltje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch peyl, originally a Hollandic variant of peghel, which is inherited from Old Dutch pegil, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *pagil, inherited from Proto-Germanic *pagila- (“mark; measuring stick”).^[2][1][3] The vowel arose by the North Sea Germanic contraction of /egi/ to /ei/, as in dweil; the uncontracted form survives as pegel.^[2][4][5][6] The same word is Middle Low German pegel (whence German Pegel) and Old English pægel (“wine vessel”) (modern English pail).^[2][3]

It is probably a diminutive in *-ila- of the word in pegge (“peg”), from *pagjō-, which gave Dutch peg and by borrowing English peg.^[2][3] Its further origin is unclear.^[2] It has been compared with Latin baculum (“stick”) and Ancient Greek βάκτρον (báktron, “stick”), but a root Proto-Indo-European *bak- is doubtful.^[2][3][1] Kroonen thinks the word is not Indo-European, and Kuhn (1961) took the Germanic words from a substrate language with unshifted /p/.^[2][3][1]

The first meaning was “mark”, made with a peg or small rod; from it came “level of a liquid”, then “fixed level” and “standard, measure”.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record has the older form: in 1369 a mill is to be kept op haren peghel ende oude bedde, “at the same level and on its old bed”.^[2] Barrels of beer delivered biden peil “by the mark”, with the content they had when sold, appear in 1404–1448.^[2] Van der Sijs dates peil “water mark” to 1476–1500.^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

The Middle Dutch peil was a knob in a measure for drink, a mark of the water level, and the load line of a vessel.^[4][5] In 1528 carpenters set the peil at several places in a canal, and water rose above it or stayed below it; a gauge for level heights followed in 1626.^[5] From 1509 it also meant a standard of weights, and by 1620 figuratively a guide or sign.^[2][5] Kiliaan (1599) recorded peyl as the Hollandic form of peghel; since then peil has been the general form, while pegel lives on regionally.^[5]

At sea the peil was the fixed point by which a ship took its bearing.^[5][8] From this comes peil trekken op iets, “rely on something”, nearly always negative: er is geen peil op te trekken, one cannot tell what to expect.^[8][4][9] Winschoten (1681) explains that tax farmers used the word too, for the stock of goods known to the farmer.^[10] Frisian peil, German Pegel, Swedish pegel, Estonian peil and Indonesian peil “level; slope” were taken from Dutch or Low German.^[11]

Timeline

• 1369 – Middle Dutch peghel “level” is recorded of a mill.^[2]
• 1404–1448 – Peil marks the content of beer barrels.^[2]
• 1476–1500 – Peil “water mark” is recorded.^[7][4]
• 1509 – Pyle is the standard for weights kept at the Chamber of Accounts.^[2][5]
• 1528 – Carpenters set the peyl at four places in a canal.^[5]
• 1599 – Kiliaan calls peyl Hollandic for peghel.^[5]
• 1620 – Peyl is used figuratively, “sign, mark”.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A mark showing a fixed level or measure, especially of water.^[9][5]
2. A level: the intended, reached or normal level of something, also intellectual or moral.^[9][1][12]

Word family

• peilen
• peilloos
• peilschaal
• waterpeil
• polderpeil
• winterpeil
• zomerpeil
• boezempeil
• noodpeil

Related words

• pegel
• peg
• English pail

Usage notes

Beneden peil is said of water lower than normal, and beneden alle peil of conduct that is mean or cowardly.^[9] Normaal Amsterdams Peil is the datum from which heights in the Netherlands are measured.^[9] In East Flemish peil also means a task or day's work, the same word as pegel.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
6. ^ a b Debrabandere, Frans (2005), Oost-Vlaams en Zeeuws-Vlaams etymologisch woordenboek, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Atlas
7. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
8. ^ a b Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
9. ^ a b c d e Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
10. ^ Winschoten, Wigardus à (1681), Seeman: behelsende een grondige uitlegging van de Neederlandse konst- en spreekwoorden, voor soo veel die uit de seevaart sijn ontleend, Leiden
11. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
12. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org