stoken

Forms

stoken^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch stōken, inherited from Old Dutch *stokon, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *stokōn,^[2] inherited from Proto-Germanic *stukōną.^[1][3] The Wachtendonck Psalms have the past tense stukida (“provoked”), from stukken; the EWN assumes a doubled ⟨kk⟩ there, as in Old Saxon stuckent and in the Old French borrowing, while Middle Dutch ⟨stoken⟩ goes back to a variant without the doubling.^[3][4] Some Middle Dutch spellings ⟨stocken⟩ show that the doubled form lived on beside it.^[3][4]

Related are Old Saxon stukkian (“to provoke, attack”) and Middle Low German stōken (“to poke, stir”), from which come Early New High German ⟨stochen⟩ and German stochern (“to poke about”).^[3][5][6] The EWN sees these zero-grade verbs as frequentatives of steken.^[3] Van Veen, De Vries and Franck–Van Wijk instead set ⟨stoken⟩ in ablaut beside stuiken, and the VMNW names both links.^[7][6][8][9] Wiktionary traces the Germanic verb to Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewg- (“to beat, push”).^[1]

The Old Dutch verb was borrowed into Old French as estochier (“to thrust with a sword”) (late 12th century) and estoquer.^[3][4] The English verb stoke is a separate case: a back-formation from stoker, which English took from Dutch in the 17th century.^[3][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch stukida glosses Latin irritavit “provoked” in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[4][3] In Middle Dutch the verb first appears in a Limburg glossary of 1240, which renders Latin instigare, incitare and lacessere with stoken: to urge on, stir up, provoke.^[9][3][11]

Semantic evolution

Fire came into the word in the 13th century: a Brabant text of 1265–70 has ochtic nu moste stoken Dat uegeuir “if I could now kindle purgatory”.^[3][9] Other early senses were to torment someone and to knock on a door (Doe hi quam sijn doorken stoken, 14th century).^[9][3][12] Keeping a fire burning is recorded from 1350, and an ordinance of the late 15th century forbids anyone to make a fire in the morning before the reveille.^[11][3] In 1509 children were forbidden to make fires in the street.^[13]

Zijn tanden stoken was to pick one's teeth, and in 1523 also to mock.^[3][13] The verb was also used for heating ovens and stoves, as in a 1680 rule on the fuels bakers might burn.^[13] Distilling spirits (brandewijn stoken) and stirring up trouble between people are its other modern uses.^[13][14][15]

English took stoker from Dutch in the 1650s, and stoke followed in the 1680s.^[10] The Old Dutch borrowing lives on in French estoc (“long sword”) and, through French, in Spanish estoque;^[16] Papiamentu once had stook “to burn”.^[16]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch stukida “provoked” is recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[4][3]
• 1240 – Middle Dutch stoken “to urge on, provoke” appears in a Limburg glossary.^[9][3][11]
• 1265–70 – The verb is used of kindling a fire.^[3][9]
• 1350 – Stoken “to keep (a fire) burning” is recorded.^[11]
• 1509 – An ordinance forbids children to make fires in the street.^[13]
• 1523 – Huer tanden stoken “to pick their teeth”, also “to mock”, is recorded.^[3][13]
• 1650s – English stoker is borrowed from Dutch.^[10]
• 1680 – Bakers are allowed to heat their ovens with reed and buckwheat husks.^[13]
• 1680s – English stoke is formed from stoker.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To heat (a room or house).^[14]
2. (transitive) To keep (a fire, stove or furnace) burning; to stoke.^[14][1][13]
3. (transitive) To burn as fuel.^[14]
4. (transitive) To distil (spirits).^[14][15]
5. (intransitive) To stir up trouble; to make others uneasy or angry on purpose.^[14][1][15]
6. (transitive) To pick (one's teeth).^[13]

Word family

• stoker
• verstoken
• bestoken
• opstoken
• aanstoken
• onruststoker
• stokebrand
• stooksel
• stookolie
• stookhout

Related words

• steken
• stuiken
• English stoke

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *stokōn
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 c d e Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
5. ^ Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ 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. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 369
9. ^ a b c d e f 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 d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ a b c d Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
12. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
13. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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
14. ^ a b c d e f Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
15. ^ a b c WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
16. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)