Etymologically
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sturen

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈstyrə(n)/, [ˈstyːrə(n)][1]

Forms

sturen[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch sturen, inherited from Old Dutch stiuren (“to lead, guide”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *stiurijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *stiurijaną (“to direct, steer”).[2][1][3] The verb is formed on the root of the noun stuur “rudder, helm”: the Oudnederlands Woordenboek calls it a denominative of stiura (“rudder”), and Kroonen a factitive of a noun such as Old English stēor (“direction, guidance”).[2][3][4] The same verb is Middle Low German stūren, Old High German stiuren (modern German steuern), Old Frisian stiūra, stīeran (“to steer; to rebuke”) (modern English steer), Old Norse stýra and Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌿𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (stiurjan, “to establish, assert”).[2][5][4]

The further origin is unclear.[4] Franck and Van Wijk, and De Vries and De Tollenaere, start from a sense “to be firm, support”, which led to “fix, regulate” and then “steer”, and compare Old High German stiuri (“great, mighty”).[6][7] Kroonen rejects the old comparison with Sanskrit स्थावर (sthāvará, “firm, thick”), which belongs to a different root, and Wiktionary mentions a possible source in Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH- (“to turn, twist”).[4][1]

The western variant stieren, originally Flemish and Zealandic, is now obsolete in the standard language except in the derivative bestieren “to manage”.[2][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Old Dutch verb is first recorded around 1100 in the Egmond Willeram, in a prayer to the saints: stiured mih mid iuwan goodan bilethen “guide me with your good examples”.[3][2] In Middle Dutch a document of 1252 mentions a ship with a stierroeder “steering oar” at the stern, and a Brabant text of 1265–1270 uses stiren for sending someone back to her duties.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

Steering usually puts the direction first and leaves the goal in the background; where only the goal mattered, Dutch shifted the meaning to “send”.[2] Both uses are early: a Bruges ordinance of 1282 fines a master who sends a journeyman to work, and a Brabant gospel text of 1291 has Jesus tell Peter to steer his boat into deep water.[8] The verb was also used of driving animals (1287) and, reflexively, of fish that steer themselves with their tails (1276).[8]

In the 16th century de beesten stueren meant to drive cattle along, and the nautical uses multiplied: koers sturen “to steer a course”, bij de wind sturen “to sail close to the wind”.[9] The form stieren became formal or poetic.[9] Modern Dutch also uses sturen for controlling a machine or a process.[10][11] Fixed expressions include iemand met een kluitje in het riet sturen “to fob someone off” and iemand de laan uitsturen “to sack someone”, which Stoett found only in recent texts.[9][12] In Brabant and Limburg dialects the verb also means “to swing on a swing”.[13][14]

Dutch sturen was borrowed into Papiamentu (stir, stür), Negerhollands (stuur, stier), Berbice Dutch (tiri), Kupang Malay (satir) and Surinamese Javanese (setir); Sranan tiri may come from Dutch or English.[15][1] Afrikaans has stuur.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Old Dutch stiuren “to guide” appears in the Egmond Willeram.[3][2]
  • 1252 – A ship with a stierroeder “steering oar” is mentioned.[2]
  • 1265–1270 – Middle Dutch stiren means “to send back”.[2][8]
  • 1282 – A Bruges ordinance uses stieren for sending a journeyman to work.[8]
  • 1291 – A Brabant gospel text has Stir din schep ten diepen “steer your boat into the deep”.[8]
  • 1290–1310 – Reflexive hem sturen op means “to rely on”.[2]
  • 1432 – The spelling sturen is dated by Van der Sijs.[16]
  • 1573 – De beesten stueren “to drive the cattle” is recorded.[9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (transitive) To steer a vehicle or vessel, to work its wheel or rudder: Hij stuurde de boot voorzichtig de haven in.[10][1]
  2. (transitive) To send, to make someone or something go somewhere: Ik stuur je morgen de foto's.[10][1]
  3. (transitive) To control, to make a machine or process work as wanted.[10][11]
  4. (intransitive) Of a ship or vehicle: to answer the helm.[10]

Word family

  • besturen
  • bestieren
  • sturing
  • aansturen
  • afsturen
  • bijsturen
  • doorsturen
  • opsturen
  • terugsturen
  • versturen
  • wegsturen
  • stuurinrichting
  • stuur
  • stuurs
  • stuurboord
  • English steer
  • German steuern

Usage notes

Zijn kat sturen is to stay away from an appointment without notice, and iemand het bos in sturen to put someone off with a false story.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  4. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b 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. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 374
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b c d 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
  10. ^ a b c d e f Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  11. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
  12. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  13. ^ Debrabandere, Frans (2010), Brabants etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van de woordenschat van Antwerpen, Brussel, Noord-Brabant en Vlaams-Brabant, Zwolle: Wbooks
  14. ^ Debrabandere, Frans (2011), Limburgs etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van de woorden uit beide Limburgen, Zwolle: Wbooks
  15. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  16. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen