Etymologically
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staan

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Pronunciation

Forms

staan (past stond, plural stonden; past participle gestaan)[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch stâen, inherited from Old Dutch stān, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *stān, inherited from Proto-Germanic *stāną (“to stand”).[2][1] The same verb is Old Saxon stān, Old High German stān, also stēn (modern German stehen), Old Frisian stān (modern West Frisian stean) and Swedish stå, all meaning “to stand”.[2][3][4] Kroonen notes that it is missing in the oldest Germanic texts but, being found in both North and West Germanic, was probably present in the proto-language; its original form is hard to reconstruct.[5] The EWN gives the stem as *stē-, whose vowel is not the regular outcome of the Indo-European root; it and De Vries & De Tollenaere explain it by analogy with the verb for “go” (gaan), and Franck–Van Wijk also thought it secondary.[2][6][4]

Very early, probably in Proto-Germanic times, the verb merged with the closely related Middle Dutch standen (“to stand”), a present stem with an inserted /n/, which is standan, stantan, stonda, Old English standan (modern English stand), Old Norse standa and Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 (standan).[2][3][4] The past tense once had both ⟨stoet⟩, ⟨stoeden⟩ and ⟨stont⟩, ⟨stonden⟩; already in Middle Dutch the modern division settled, with ⟨sta-⟩ in the infinitive, the present and the participles and ⟨stond-⟩ in the past.[2][7] The old Germanic past *stōþ- is seen in stōd (modern stood) and 𐍃𐍄𐍉𐌸 (stōþ).[3][4][2] The stem ⟨stand-⟩ lives on in derivatives such as stand, stander, gestand, omstandigheid and opstand.[2]

The verb belongs to Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand”), the root of Latin stō (“to stand”), Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi, “to make stand, set”) and Lithuanian stoti (“to stand up”).[2][3][8][9] With a /t/-suffix it also gave *stad-, the source of stad.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century open with Salig man ther … in uuege sundigero ne stunt, “blessed is the man who has not stood in the way of sinners”.[2][10] A charm of 1001–1050 has That bluod for stuond, “the blood stood still”, and a rhymed Bible of 1151–1200 has so lange thiv werlt stat, “as long as the world stands”.[2][10] Old Dutch stān thus already meant “to stand”, “to be located”, “to exist” and “to stand still”.[10] Middle Dutch staen is recorded in Limburg around 1200, and a Limburg glossary of about 1240 renders Latin stare with it.[11]

Semantic evolution

In the 13th century staen was used of people, animals and statues, and also meant “to stop”, “to be in a certain state”, “to last”, “to remain valid”, “to depend on” and “to be possible”.[11] Middle Dutch could join it to another verb with ende, as in stont ende riep “stood and cried”, the forerunner of the modern staan te construction.[7][1] In the 19th century this auxiliary use was often attributed to Jewish speakers, like Amsterdam zitten.[12] Zeggen waar het op staat, to say plainly what matters, goes back to the Middle Ages.[13] Hier sta ik, ik kan niet anders translates Luther's German.[14]

Modern slang has voor lul staan, to look a fool, recorded in the 1960s, and in Surinamese Dutch a bingo player who needs one more number staat.[15][16] The verb passed into Negerhollands (staan, tan), Berbice Dutch (tan), Biak and Kupang Malay, and a French dialect has stå “halt!”.[17][1] It lives on in Afrikaans staan.[1]

Timeline

  • 901–1000 – Old Dutch stān appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.[18][10]
  • 1001–1050 – That bluod for stuond “the blood stood still”.[2][10]
  • c. 1200 – Middle Dutch staen is first recorded, in Limburg.[11]
  • c. 1240 – A Limburg glossary renders Latin stare with staen.[11]
  • 1573 – A dictionary gives staen as “to be standing”.[19]
  • 1968 – Voor lul staan is quoted.[15]

Meanings

Verb

  1. Of people or animals: to stand, be upright on one's feet: Ze stond bij het raam.[20][1][19]
  2. Of things: to rest on supports, be placed or located.[20][1]
  3. To be in a certain state or position: alleen staan, to have no family or support.[20]
  4. To suit, look (of clothes): Die jas staat je goed.[20][1]
  5. To be written or printed: Wat staat er in de brief?[20][1]
  6. With te: to be busy doing something, often while standing: Hij stond op de bus te wachten.[20][1]
  7. Not to move, to stand still: blijven staan.[20]
  8. With te: to be about to happen: Er staat ons een zware tijd te wachten.[1]

Word family

  • bestaan
  • ontstaan
  • verstaan
  • opstaan
  • toestaan
  • uitstaan
  • aanstaan
  • afstaan
  • bijstaan
  • doorstaan
  • instaan
  • volstaan
  • staande
  • stilstaan
  • vaststaan

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  5. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  6. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 363
  7. ^ a b Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  8. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
  9. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  10. ^ a b c d e Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ Kamp, Jacob van de; Wijk, Jacob van der (2006), Koosjer Nederlands: Joodse woorden in de Nederlandse taal, Amsterdam: Contact
  13. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
  15. ^ a b Reinsma, R. (1975), Signalement van nieuwe woorden, Amsterdam: Elsevier
  16. ^ Donselaar, J. van (1989), Woordenboek van het Surinaams-Nederlands, Muiderberg: Coutinho
  17. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  18. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  19. ^ 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
  20. ^ a b c d e f g Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers