roeren

Forms

roeren^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch roeren, inherited from Old Dutch ruoren, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *hrōʀijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *hrōzijaną (“to set in motion”), a causative of the adjective *hrōza- (“mobile, quick, strong”), which survives in Old Saxon hrōr and Old English hrōr.^[2][1][3] The same verb is Old Saxon hrōrian, Old High German (h)ruoren (modern German rühren), Old Frisian hrēra (modern West Frisian riere), Old English hrēran and Old Norse hrœra (modern Swedish röra); from the same adjective came the noun *hrōzō- (“movement”).^[2][4]

The further origin is unclear.^[2] If the sense “to mix” is old, the verb can be compared with Greek verbs meaning “to mix” from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- (“to mix”), as De Vries and Van Veen do, but the EWN finds the formal link not quite clear, as it requires an extended causative *ḱr-oh₂-s-éie-; it rejects the Sanskrit verbs for “to cook” that others compared.^[2][4][5] Kroonen instead sets up *kroHs-éie- and compares an Avestan verb meaning “to be shocked”.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Old Dutch the verb is first found in the derivative irruoran “to move”, in the 10th-century Wachtendonck Psalms.^[2] The simple verb is recorded in 1151 in a text from Werden: ich ne dar in niwet roren, “I dare not touch it”.^[6] In Middle Dutch a Lower Rhine text of 1220–1240 says si ruorden uuote ende hande, “they moved feet and hands”, and around 1240 ruren glosses Latin movere in Limburg.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch the verb meant to move or to be moved, to touch, and to stir up: a text of 1276–1300 says of a woman was si van binnen geruert, that she was moved within, in rapture, and a West Flemish text of 1287 has gheroert te samen, “mixed together”.^[2][7] Ligghende ende rorende goods, immovable and movable property, appear in 1291–1300;^[2][8] roerende goederen is a loan translation of legal Latin mobilia or res mobiles.^[2][8]

The WNT notes that the senses “to move” and “to touch” often run together, as in the synonym reppen.^[9] The general sense “to move” is now archaic, but survives in phrases such as zijn mond roeren and iemand tot tranen toe roeren; the WNT has het bloed roeren, to stir up someone's anger (1725).^[2][9] Today the verb mainly means to stir with circular movements.^[2][10] The older senses passed to its derivatives: beroeren “to touch”, beroerd “wretched”, beroerte “stroke”, ontroerd “moved”, oproer “rebellion” and zich verroeren “to stir”.^[2] The adjective roerend also gives the adverb in het roerend eens zijn, to agree wholeheartedly.^[2] Roerbakken, “to stir-fry”, was formed in 1991, probably after English stir-fry.^[2]

The dialect form reuren is known in North Holland, Overijssel, Limburg, Utrecht, Texel and the Veluwe.^[9] English borrowed the verb as rore “to stir up, to move”, and it also went into Danish and Negerhollands (roer).^[11][1]

Timeline

• 1151 – Old Dutch roren “to touch” is recorded at Werden.^[6]
• 1220–1240 – Middle Dutch si ruorden uuote ende hande, “they moved feet and hands”.^[2][7]
• c. 1240 – Ruren glosses Latin movere in Limburg.^[7][12]
• 1287 – Gheroert te samen, “mixed together”.^[2]
• 1291–1300 – Ligghende ende rorende goods.^[2]
• 1608 – A plan to keep the town's water moving, ’t water … te roeren.^[9]
• 1725 – Het bloed roeren, to stir up anger.^[9]
• 1991 – Roerbakken “to stir-fry” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To stir: to mix with circular movements.^[10][1][13] Ze roerde de saus tot hij dik werd.^[10][1][13]
2. To move emotionally, to touch.^[10][1] Zijn verhaal roerde het hele publiek.^[10][1]
3. To move, to budge (a limb), now mainly in set phrases.^[2][1]
4. zich roeren: to stir, to move; to make oneself heard, to protest.^[13][9]

Word family

• roerend
• onroerend
• beroeren
• ontroeren
• verroeren
• aanroeren
• oproeren
• roerbakken
• roerei
• roerloos
• roerig
• roering
• roersel
• roerstok

Related words

• oproer
• beroerte
• German rühren

Usage notes

The present participle roerend is used as an adjective in law: roerende zaken are movable goods, opposed to onroerende land and buildings.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t 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 Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
6. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
7. ^ a b c d 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
8. ^ a b Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
9. ^ 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
10. ^ a b c d e 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)
12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
13. ^ a b c WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org