schip

Forms

schip n (plural schepen, diminutive scheepje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch schip, inherited from Old Dutch skip, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *skip, inherited from Proto-Germanic *skipą.^[2][1][3] The same word is Old Saxon scip, Old High German scif (modern German Schiff), Old Frisian skip, Old English scip, whence English ship, Old Norse skip and Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌹𐍀 (skip), all “ship”.^[2][4] Old High German also had the sense “vessel”, and its derivatives sciffi and scifilīn are names of drinking cups.^[5][6]

The EWN considers it probably related to the root for “cut, split” found in schiften, so that the first sense was a hewn and hollowed tree trunk, the oldest known kind of boat.^[2] De Vries took it as the zero grade of Proto-Indo-European *skeib-, an extension of the root of scheiden.^[5] Wiktionary compares Lithuanian skiẽbti (“to rip up”) and Latvian šķibīt (“to cut, lop”).^[1][7] Trier thought instead of a wicker basket covered with hides.^[5] Kroonen takes the word as an early loan from Latin scyphus (“drinking cup”), from Ancient Greek σκύφος (skúphos, “cup”), an explanation the WNT and Franck–Van Wijk mention beside the native one and De Vries rejects, since a word found in all the Germanic languages will be native.^[4][8][6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word first appears in Old Dutch names: Scipliede, now Schipluiden in South Holland, literally “ship canal”, recorded for 1083–1091 in a copy of about 1420, and the compound licht skip, a kind of barge, in 1177.^[2][3] The oldest Middle Dutch record, from Limburg in 1200, speaks of trade bit scheppe “with ships” to Denmark and Norway.^[2][9]

Semantic evolution

By 1285 scip could also mean a shipload, as in a Dordrecht toll list for enen schepe sans “a shipload of sand”.^[2][9] The sense “nave of a church”, first recorded in 1438, imitates Latin navis “ship”, which may have taken it on because the Romans confused Greek naós “temple” with naûs “ship”.^[2][10][11] De Vries thought rather of the likeness between a church roof and an upturned keel.^[5]

The derivative schipper first meant any member of a ship's crew (1399) or anyone who made a living from shipping (1460), and only from the 16th century specifically the master of a ship.^[2] From it came schipperen “to give and take, compromise” (1796).^[2] Among the many sayings are de wal keert het schip, “circumstances put a stop to it”, and een schip met zure appelen for a coming heavy shower.^[12] In Amsterdam Jewish speech the schip of a chicken is the breastbone with the white meat,^[13] and the main hall of the Portuguese synagogue was called the schip.^[14]

Germanic forms of the word reached the Romance languages: a Lombard form gave Italian schifo, the source of French esquif.^[5][6] Afrikaans skip passed it on to Zulu isikebhe and Southern Sotho sekepe, and it was borrowed as Negerhollands skip and Sranan Tongo sipi, the last from Dutch or English.^[15][1]

Timeline

• 1083–1091 – The Old Dutch place name Scipliede (Schipluiden) is recorded, in a copy of about 1420.^[2]
• 1177 – The compound licht skip “barge” is recorded.^[2]
• 1200 – Middle Dutch scheppe “ships” appears in a Limburg text.^[2][9]
• 1285 – Scip is recorded in the sense “shipload”.^[2][9]
• 1399 – Scipper “member of a ship's crew” is recorded.^[2]
• 1438 – The sense “nave of a church” is first recorded.^[2][11]
• 1796 – Schipperen “to compromise” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A ship, a vessel of fair to very large size.^[16][17][1]
2. (architecture) The nave, the largest space along the length of a church.^[16][1][7]

Word family

• schipper
• schipperen
• schipbreuk
• scheepvaart
• scheepsbouw
• scheepsjongen
• scheepslading
• scheepswrak
• ontschepen
• verschepen
• stoomschip
• zeilschip
• binnenschip
• koopvaardijschip
• linieschip

Related words

• English ship
• German Schiff

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g 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 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 Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
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 d e f Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ a b c Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
8. ^ 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
9. ^ 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
10. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
11. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
12. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
13. ^ Beem, H. (1974), Uit Mokum en de mediene: Joodse woorden in Nederlandse omgeving, Assen: Van Gorcum
14. ^ Kamp, Jacob van de; Wijk, Jacob van der (2006), Koosjer Nederlands: Joodse woorden in de Nederlandse taal, Amsterdam: Contact
15. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
16. ^ a b Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
17. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org