Etymologically
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schuld

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Pronunciation

Forms

schuld f (plural schulden, diminutive schuldje n)[1] Middle Dutch had both scult and scout.[2][3] Eastern dialects have schoud.[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch scult, inherited from Old Dutch skult, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *skuldi, inherited from Proto-Germanic *skuldiz (“obligation, debt”).[3][1][5] It is an abstract noun formed with the suffix Proto-Indo-European *-ti-, with grammatical alternation, from the Germanic verb stem of zullen, *skulaną (“to owe, be obliged”).[3][6][7] The same word is Old Saxon skuld, Old High German sculd (modern German Schuld), Old Frisian skeld, Old English scyld and Old Norse skuld.[3][7][6] It is not recorded in Gothic.[2] Wiktionary traces the Germanic noun to Proto-Indo-European *skel- (“to be obliged, owe, be guilty”) and compares Lithuanian kaltė̃ (“guilt”).[1]

The regular Middle Dutch form was scout, with Old Dutch /ult/ becoming /out/ as in koud.[3][7] In the genitive and dative *skuldi, umlaut prevented that change.[3] These cases made ⟨schuld⟩ the usual form.[3][8] Franck and Van Wijk add the influence of the adjective schuldig.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Reimbibel, an Old Dutch rhymed Bible of the second half of the 12th century, has Ire beider sculde waren grozlich, “the sins of both of them were very great”, in the sense of wrongdoing.[3][5] The first Middle Dutch record, in the Floyris of 1201–1225, is a money debt: ic late en die sculde, “I remit them the debt”.[3][9][10]

Semantic evolution

The original sense was “obligation”, especially the duty to repay a loan, which the word still has.[3] It could also be a moral obligation or penalty, still seen in the proverb belofte maakt schuld, already Middle Dutch as loofte maket schult.[3][11] Under Christian influence “what one owes” became “what one owes God”, and so “sin, wrongdoing”, as in vergeef ons onze schulden (Matthew 6:12).[3] From this came the modern sense “responsibility for a wrong”, as in iemand de schuld geven; all these senses already existed in Middle Dutch.[3] A text of 1220–1240 has dur uwe sculde “through your doing”, and a Middelburg charter of 1254 zonder mans schoud “while the man was innocent”.[3][9]

In the money sense the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal's quotations begin in 1531, and schulden maken “to run up debts” is found in 1600.[4] The word was borrowed into Negerhollands and Berbice Dutch (skolo “credit, account”), and through Afrikaans skuld into Zulu.[12][1]

Timeline

  • 1151–1200 – The Reimbibel has sculde “sins”.[3][5]
  • 1201–1225 – Middle Dutch sculde “debt” appears in the Floyris.[3][10]
  • 1220–1240 – Dur uwe sculde “through your doing” is recorded.[3]
  • 1254 – A Middelburg charter has the form schoud.[3][9]
  • 1531 – A text mentions annuities and debts on a ship that is sold.[4]
  • 1600 – Schulden maken “to run up debts” is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. debt, an amount one owes for a service or delivery: Ze heeft nog een flinke schuld bij de bank.[13][1][14]
  2. blame, fault, responsibility for something that went wrong: Het ongeluk was niet zijn schuld.[13][1][14]
  3. (law) guilt, culpability.[1]
  4. Guilt, moral fault; in religious language, sin.[1][3]

Word family

  • verontschuldigen
  • belastingschuld
  • ereschuld
  • gokschuld
  • onschuld
  • oorlogsschuld
  • schuldbekentenis
  • schuldbesef
  • schuldbewijs
  • schuldeiser
  • schuldeloos
  • schuldenaar
  • schuldenlast
  • schuldgevoel
  • schuldig

Usage notes

Belofte maakt schuld means that what one promises one must do, and eigen schuld, dikke bult is said when someone complains about the results of their own actions.[13] The proverb waar twee kijven, hebben twee schuld puts the blame for a quarrel on both sides.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s 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
  4. ^ a b c d 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
  5. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  6. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  7. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  9. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  11. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  13. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  14. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org