spuiten

Forms

spuiten^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch spoiten, a native word, also spelled speiten and spouten.^[2][3][4] Related forms are Middle Low German spoiten (“to squirt”), Middle High German spiutzen (“to spatter”), Middle English spouten (“to spatter”) (modern English spout) and Old Norse spýta (“to spit”).^[5][2] Orel reconstructs it as Proto-Germanic *spūtjaną.^[6]

The EWN considers it possibly a derivative with a dental suffix from the root of spuwen, but because of its vowel more likely a derivative of spuien or influenced by it.^[5] De Vries and Van Veen take the dental derivative from the root of spuwen.^[2][7] The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal also suggests that the Middle English verb had its vowel changed under the influence of spui.^[8] Van Haeringen counts it among the few native words with the diphthong ⟨ui⟩ of bui, lui and schuin, a sound that is common in loanwords from Romance.^[9] De Vries takes the dialect forms ⟨speten⟩ and ⟨speiten⟩ as expressive vowel variants.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Around 1351 Middle Dutch speiten is used of squirting water into something, and a 15th-century text of medical recipes says to squirt a fluid into the rectum.^[5][4] The noun speite, a medical syringe, appears in the same year.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The modern spelling spuyten, “to force a fluid through a narrow tube”, is recorded in 1573.^[5] From 1559 the verb is also intransitive, of tears flowing out, and in 1615 of blood spurting from under a nail.^[8] The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal records the senses “to spit” in Kiliaan, “to have thin diarrhoea”, of animals (1810), and “to make by pressing a material through a narrow opening” (1908); in Antwerp it also meant to joke.^[8]

The noun spuit gave injectiespuit (1889) and the short spuitje “injection” (1891).^[5] From 1930 one could give someone een spuitje.^[5] From 1971 spuiten alone means “to inject drugs”.^[10] Van Dale also has spraying with paint, as in een auto spuiten.^[11]

The verb was borrowed into Danish (sprøjte), Norwegian, North Frisian, several Malay varieties of eastern Indonesia (spoit), Berbice Dutch (spoiti), Papiamentu (spùit), Sranan Tongo (spoiti) and through it Saramaccan (sipóíti).^[12]

Timeline

• 1351 – Middle Dutch speiten is recorded, with the noun speite “syringe”.^[5]
• 1401–1500 – The form spoiten is recorded.^[13][7]
• 1559 – The intransitive use “to gush out” appears.^[8]
• 1573 – The spelling spuyten is recorded.^[5]
• 1810 – It is used of animals with thin diarrhoea.^[8]
• 1889 – Injectiespuit is recorded.^[5]
• 1908 – It is used of extruding material.^[8]
• 1971 – It is recorded for injecting drugs.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) Of a liquid: to spurt, gush out with force through a narrow opening.^[11]
2. To squirt: to force a liquid out through a narrow opening.^[11][1]
3. To inject drugs or medicine into oneself.^[11][10]
4. To make something by pressing the material through a narrow opening.^[11][8]
5. To bring into a state by spraying, or to treat by spraying, as with paint.^[11]

Word family

• spuitbus
• spuitwater
• spuitzak
• afspuiten
• bespuiten
• inspuiten
• onderspuiten
• overspuiten
• verspuiten
• spuit
• spuiter
• spuitfles
• spuitpistool

Related words

• spuwen
• spuien
• English spout

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
3. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 362
4. ^ a b Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
6. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
10. ^ a b c Reinsma, R. (1975), Signalement van nieuwe woorden, Amsterdam: Elsevier
11. ^ a b c d e f Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen