stinken

Forms

stinken^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch stinken, inherited from Old Dutch stinkan (“to give off a smell”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *stinkwan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *stinkwaną.^[2][1][3] The same verb is Middle Low German stinken, Old High German stinkan (modern German stinken), West Frisian stjonke and Old English stincan (modern English stink), all at first “to smell (strongly)”, later “to smell bad”.^[2] Outside West Germanic it means something else: Old Norse støkkva (“to splash; to leap”) and Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌲𐌵𐌰𐌽 (stigqan, “to clash, thrust”).^[2][3][4]

The EWN starts from an older ⟨*stenkʷan-⟩ “to thrust, splash, raise dust”: in West Germanic “giving off smell like dust” would have led to “to smell”.^[2] The Old English meaning “to rise as vapour” and a dialect ⟨stinken⟩ “to be draughty” in Assendelft and Krommenie point the same way.^[4][5] For the link between thrusting and smelling the dictionaries compare Polish trącić, which means both “to push” and “to smell of”.^[2][6][7]

The EWN and Kroonen relate the verb to Latin stinguō (“to quench”), first probably “to press, push” (whence distinguō and exstinguō), Kroonen citing restinguō (“to push back, suppress”), and to Lithuanian sténgti (“to exert oneself”), from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ- (“to push”).^[2][3] Kroonen reconstructs a present with a nasal infix, *sté-n-gʷ-e-.^[3] De Vries thought the whole etymology very uncertain and listed other proposals, among them a link with Old Irish tocht (“stench”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century stincan sulun “they will smell” translates Latin odorabunt, of perceiving a smell.^[2][8] Around 1100 the verb means “to give off a scent”, in a sentence about nard ointment smelling ever more sweetly.^[2][8] Middle Dutch stinken “to smell bad” is recorded in 1240, when Limburg glosses render Latin fetere “to stink” and putere “to rot”.^[2][9]

Semantic evolution

In Old Dutch, as in Old High German and Old English, the verb was neutral; all the West Germanic languages then narrowed it to a bad smell.^[2][10] A West Flemish text of 1287 says that peacock flesh does not stink or rot within a year, and another uses stinken vore gode “to stink before God” of what is hateful.^[9][2] To say that someone's breath stank was a grave insult in the Middle Ages.^[11]

From the 17th century stinkend names plants and animals: stinkende gouwe “greater celandine” (1608), stinkende pad, a toad.^[10] Winschoten's sailors' book of 1681 has een stinkende storm for a violent squall.^[5] The present participle also became an intensifier: stinkent vol Volk “packed with people” (1782), stinkend duur “stinking expensive” (1929), stinkend rijk (1966); it began in phrases like stinkend vol “so full that it stinks”.^[2] The proverb zachte meesters maken stinkende wonden, “gentle surgeons make stinking wounds”, warns against half measures.^[12]

Danish stinke, Norwegian stinke and Swedish stinka may come from Dutch or Low German;^[13][1] Negerhollands stink, Papiamentu hole stinki “smelly; mean” and Sranan Tongo tingi come from Dutch, and Afrikaans has stink.^[13][1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch stincan “to smell” is recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[2][14][8]
• c. 1100 – Stinchene is used of ointment giving off its scent.^[2]
• 1240 – Middle Dutch stinken “to smell bad” is first recorded.^[2][9]
• 1287 – A West Flemish text says peacock flesh none stinket no rot within a year.^[2][9]
• 1434–1436 – Hy seit dat uwen adem stinckt “he says your breath stinks”.^[2]
• 1608 – Stinckende gouwe “greater celandine” is recorded.^[10]
• 1681 – Een stinkende storm “a violent squall” is recorded.^[5]
• 1782 – Stinkent vol Volk shows stinkend as an intensifier.^[2]
• 1929 – Stinkend duur is recorded.^[2]
• 1966 – Stinkend rijk is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To stink, to smell bad.^[15][1][16]
2. (figurative) To be suspect, not in order: die zaak stinkt “there's something fishy about it”.^[16]

Word family

• stinkend
• stinkerd
• stinkbom
• stinkdier
• stinkdas
• stinkzwam
• stinkstok
• bestinken

Related words

• stank
• English stink
• German stinken

Usage notes

Geld stinkt niet, “money doesn't stink”, means that it does not matter how one gets money.^[15] Het stinkt hier is said jokingly when someone praises himself.^[15]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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 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 Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ a b c Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
6. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 368
8. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
9. ^ 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
10. ^ a b c 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
11. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
12. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
13. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
15. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
16. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org