sinds

Forms

sinds^[1] The older form sint is still used in some dialects, especially in the southern Netherlands and Belgium.^[2] Middle Dutch also had sent, zent and sunt.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch sint, inherited from Old Dutch sint (“since then, afterwards”), with the adverbial -s that was added later.^[3][5][1] According to the EWN, Old Dutch ⟨sint⟩ is a nasal variant *sinþ-, found only in Dutch, Low German and High German, of the root of Proto-Germanic *sīþiz (“later”), which also gave sedert and German seit.^[3] The same form is Middle Low German sint and Old High German sint, which survives in modern German only in sintemal (“since, because”).^[3][5][6]

Franck and Van Wijk derived Middle Dutch ⟨sint⟩ from siden, sident, the forms that De Vries and De Tollenaere compare with Middle High German sīdunt, Old English siþþan and Old Norse síðan and trace to the word preserved in Gothic 𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌸𐌿𐍃 (seiþus, “late”).^[3][5][7][4] The EWN rejects this, because ⟨sint⟩ is already Old Dutch, from before intervocalic /d/ was lost; it explains ⟨sident⟩ instead as a blend of side (“late”) with ⟨sint⟩, or as a continuation of ⟨*sīþiz⟩ with the North Sea Germanic adverbial ending ⟨-n⟩.^[3] The English word since is therefore only indirectly related.^[1]

The initial /s/ instead of the expected /z/ comes from forms with a prefixed ⟨t-⟩, as in samen from older ⟨tzamen⟩: the EWN explains it this way for ⟨sedert⟩, from ⟨tsedert⟩, which is common in writing in the 15th and 16th centuries.^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch sint is first recorded in the Rhineland Rhyming Bible (1151–1200), as an adverb, “afterwards”, in Sint quamen se beithe zo Rome “afterwards they both came to Rome”, and as a conjunction, “after”.^[3][8] The Werden fragments of the same time also use it for “since then”.^[8]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch sint dat meant “since, after”, and also “because, now that”, “whereas” and “in case, when”: a Ghent text of about 1240–1260 uses it for “if one has paid more for it than…”.^[9][3] As a preposition, “since, after”, it is found in 1317, in zend Voorscoter mark “since the Voorschoten market”.^[3][10]

The form with ⟨-s⟩ appears in the 16th century: Tsynts desen tyt “since this time” is found around 1570, and sinds het overgaan “since the surrender” in 1608.^[3] Van der Sijs dates the preposition from 1570 and the subordinating conjunction from 1823.^[11][12] In the standard language sinds and sedert mean the same, but sinds is the everyday word and sedert belongs to a higher style; as an adverb, still common in Middle Dutch, both have been replaced by sindsdien and sedertdien.^[3]

The preposition was borrowed into Negerhollands (sens, sins) and into Sranan Tongo as sensi, which is also a conjunction there.^[13][1]

Timeline

• 1151–1200 – Old Dutch sint “afterwards” and “after” appears in the Rhineland Rhyming Bible.^[3][8]
• 1240–1260 – Middle Dutch sint dat is used in the sense “in case”.^[3][9]
• 1265–1270 – Sent dat “after” is recorded in Brabant.^[3][9]
• 1317 – The preposition appears, in zend Voorscoter mark.^[3]
• c. 1570 – The form with ⟨-s⟩ appears, in Tsynts desen tyt, and the word is first a preposition in this form.^[3][11]
• 1823 – Sinds is first a subordinating conjunction on its own.^[11]

Meanings

Preposition

1. since, from a point in time on: Sinds maandag regent het.^[14][1]
2. For, during a period counted back from now: Ik woon hier sinds drie jaar.^[14]

Conjunction

1. Since, from the time that: Sinds hij verhuisd is, zien we hem nooit meer.^[15][12][1]

Adverb

1. (dated) Since then.^[14][2]

Word family

• sindsdien

Related words

• sedert
• English since
• German seit

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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 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 Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
7. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 339
8. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
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. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
11. ^ a b c Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
12. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
14. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
15. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org