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Etymology and origin of the Dutch word school

school1 educational institution

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1240, Middle Dutch (Bernardus glossary)
Borrowed from
Latin schola via Middle Dutch
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek σχολή
Etymology tree of school1
inherited borrowed derived
Ancient Greek σχολή
Latin schola
Italian scuola
Dutch school
English school
French école
German Schule

Pronunciation

Forms

school f (plural scholen, diminutive schooltje n)[1]

Etymology

The educational institution is inherited from Middle Dutch schole, borrowed from Latin schola (“school”), which is borrowed from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ, “school; earlier leisure spent in learning, study; originally leisure”).[2][1][3] The Greek noun is perhaps a derivative with an ⟨l⟩-suffix of the stem of ἔχω (ékhō, “to have, hold”).[2][3][4] De Vries thinks the word was probably taken over as early as the 6th century, along with church words such as klooster, monnik and non.[3]

The other West Germanic languages borrowed the Latin word too: Middle Low German schōle, Old High German scuola (modern German Schule), West Frisian skoalle and Old English scōl (modern English school); Old Norse skóli was taken from Middle Low German or Old English.[2][3] These forms reflect the later learned Latin pronunciation with a long ⟨ō⟩, which also gave the rare Middle Dutch scoel and some eastern dialect forms.[3][5] Franck and Van Wijk hold that the Dutch word came straight from Latin and probably not from Old French escole.[5] The doublets sjoel and skorro come from the same Latin source.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Middle Dutch schole is first recorded in the Bernardus glossary of 1240, from Limburg, glossing Latin scola in the senses “school”, “school building” and “teaching”.[6][2][7] In 1265–70 the life of Saint Lutgard says she heft gegaen ter minnen scholen, she has been to the school of love, taught by God himself.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch used schole for the institution, the building, as in a Bruges text of 1284 naming the school of Saint Saviour's, and for teaching or doctrine in general.[2][6] Scole houden, to keep a school, meant to teach, as in a Dordrecht ordinance of 1292 that forbids anyone else to keep a school in the town.[6]

From 1642 the word is used for a group of people in art or learning who share views or methods, as in de Haagse school of painters;[2][8] school maken is to gain followers.[2][8] The phrase uit de school klappen, first of pupils telling what went on at school and then of anyone giving away secrets, is found from the 16th century.[9] In riding, school is the regular practice of all the movements.[8]

Dutch, or Low German, passed the word to Danish skole and Swedish skola, and Dutch carried it to Indonesia and the Caribbean: Ambonese Malay skolah, Papiamentu skol, Sranan Tongo skoro.[10][1] Afrikaans has skool, and Xhosa, Zulu and Sotho took the word from Afrikaans or English.[10][1]

Timeline

  • 1240 – Middle Dutch schole glosses Latin scola in the Bernardus glossary.[6][2][7]
  • 1265–70 – Ter minnen scholen gaen, to go to the school of love, in the life of Saint Lutgard.[2][6]
  • 1284 – Scole of a school building in Bruges.[2][6]
  • 1292 – Scoele houden “to keep a school” in Dordrecht.[6]
  • 16th century – Uit de school klappen “to tell tales out of school”.[9]
  • 1642 – School for a group of scholars sharing views.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A school, an institution where teaching is given: Zij zit op een school in het centrum.[8][11][1]
  2. A school building.[8][11]
  3. Lessons, school time: Na school gaan we zwemmen.[8][11]
  4. The pupils and teachers of a school together.[8][11]
  5. A group of artists or scholars who share a method or outlook: de Haagse school.[8][1]
  6. A faculty or institute within a larger one, such as a university.[1]
  7. (riding) The regular practice of all the movements.[8]

Word family

  • scholen
  • schoolmeester
  • schooljongen
  • schoolkind
  • schoolboek
  • schoolbord
  • schoolplein
  • schooljaar
  • schoolvakantie
  • schoolziek
  • basisschool
  • hogeschool
  • kleuterschool
  • kostschool
  • avondschool
  • rijschool
  • dansschool
  • leerschool
  • muziekschool
  • sportschool

school2 shoal, group

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1287, Middle Dutch (West Flanders)
Borrowed from
Latin schola via Middle Dutch
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek σχολή
Etymology tree of school2
inherited borrowed derived
Ancient Greek σχολή
Latin schola
Italian scuola
Dutch school
English school
French école
German Schule

Pronunciation

Forms

school f (plural scholen, diminutive schooltje n)[1]

Etymology

The shoal is inherited from Middle Dutch schole (“group of animals; crowd, troop”), probably borrowed from Latin schola (“school”).[2][6][1] Most dictionaries take it to be the same loan as school1, through a sense “band of pupils around their master”: Late Latin already used the noun for a troop of soldiers.[2][3][12] The Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek sees no reason to assume another origin, and Van Haeringen also preferred this view.[13][14]

Franck and Van Wijk, followed by the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal and Wiktionary, instead connect it with schaar “crowd” and derive it as a native word, Proto-West Germanic *skulu (“troop, group”), meaning “division”, from the root Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, divide”) of schil.[5][15][1][2] The Philippa dictionary finds this formally possible, but De Vries thinks it less likely.[2][3] The same word, meaning “crowd”, is Old Saxon skola, Old High German scuola and Old English scolu (modern English shoal).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Der naturen bloeme of 1287, from West Flanders: doves, geese, swans, starlings, rooks, jackdaws, finches and gulls fly bi scolen, in flocks, from land to land.[6][2][7]

Semantic evolution

At first the word was used of all kinds of animal groups, such as flocks of birds; from the 14th century it also meant a crowd of people, a band or an army, as in a rhymed text of 1300–25 where Cilla comes met sire scole, with his army.[2] From the 18th century it has been used only of fish.[2] In German and Low German, as in Dutch, it fell together with the word for the institution.[2]

English school “shoal of fish” was borrowed from Dutch, recorded from about 1400, and West Frisian skoal probably was too.[2][3][10] Danish skole “school of (whale) fish” comes from Dutch or English.[10]

Timeline

  • 1287 – Middle Dutch scolen “flocks” of birds, in Der naturen bloeme.[6][2][7]
  • 1300–25 – Scole “army, band”.[2]
  • c. 1400 – English school “shoal” is borrowed from Dutch.[3]
  • 18th century – The word is restricted to groups of fish.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A shoal, a close group of fish of the same kind swimming together: een school haringen.[8][11][16]
  2. A crowd, a group of people.[2]

Word family

  • samenscholen
  • samenscholing

Usage notes

In fishing, school also means a mesh of a net, as in an Enkhuizen rule of 1624 that all nets must be 750 meshes, masken ofte scholen, wide; the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal gives this sense a numbered entry of its own, of unknown origin.[15][8][17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 u v w x y z 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 f g h i j Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  4. ^ Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
  5. ^ a b c Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
  7. ^ a b c d Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  9. ^ a b Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  10. ^ a b c d Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  11. ^ a b c d e Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
  12. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 332
  13. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  14. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  15. ^ a b 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
  16. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
  17. ^ Debrabandere, Frans (2002), West-Vlaams etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van de West-Vlaamse woorden, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Atlas

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“School.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/nl/school. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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