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tegen

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Etymology and origin of the Dutch word tegen

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1220–1240, Middle Dutch
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic *gagin

Pronunciation

  • /ˈteː.ɣə(n)/[1]

Forms

tegen (preposition, adverb)[1] Middle Dutch also had tegens, with the -s of jegens.[2][3] It was still written in the early 19th century, notably by Bilderdijk, and survives in the tegenswoordig some speakers use.[3] Many dialects, especially in Holland, have teugen, a form that Van Haeringen and the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal call hard to explain.[3][4]

Etymology

It is from Middle Dutch te (“to, towards”) + jeghen (“against, opposite”), where ⟨te⟩ gave the direction of the action.[2][5][1] The unstressed first syllable was reduced, so that ⟨te jeghen⟩ became ⟨tjeghen⟩ and then ⟨teghen⟩.[2][6][5] Southern texts also have palatalised forms spelled ⟨tie-⟩, ⟨che-⟩, ⟨tse-⟩ and the like.[2][3][7] German zugegen (“present”) is formed in the same way.[8][9]

The second part is the preposition in jegens: Middle Dutch jeghen continues Old Dutch gegin, which also appears with prefixes as angegin and ingegen, and Proto-Germanic *gagin (“against, towards”).[2][10][1] Its ⟨j-⟩ is the North Sea Germanic development of Germanic ⟨*g-⟩, as in jij beside gij.[2] Related forms are Old Saxon gegin-, Old High German gagan (modern German gegen), Old Frisian jēn and Old English gēan-, the source of English again in ongēan.[2] The further, pre-Germanic origin is unknown.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Around 1220–1240 Middle Dutch has [s]ecgen minen wille, “against my will”, and te gegen uome quam sijn wijf, “his wife came to meet him”.[2][11] A text of 1236 speaks of the worst offences cheghen dordine, “against the rule”.[2] Van der Sijs dates the preposition teghen to 1284.[12][13]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch tejeghen, jeghen and their forms with -s were synonyms.[2] Old High German texts still show how such a preposition developed: first “straight towards” in space and time, then a relation to people, and finally opposition.[2] The present difference between tegen, tegens and jegens was introduced by 17th-century and later grammarians: Ampzing (1628) prescribed tegen for meeting someone, tegens for hostility and jegens for friendship.[2] Tegens has since gone out of standard use, but the distinction between tegen and jegens remains.[2]

The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal starts from the sense of direction, “in the opposite direction”, as in sailing tegen de wint (1688), and then presence at a place, touching something.[3] Modern senses include hostility, a contest, contradiction, exchange (tegen betaling) and approach in time (tegen de avond).[14][3] In Belgium tegen can also mean “near”, and in Surinamese Dutch it marks a point of time, “at”.[14][15]

The preposition was borrowed into Negerhollands, Ambonese Malay (téheng) and Surinamese Javanese (tékhe).[16] Afrikaans has teen.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Old Dutch gegin “against, towards” is recorded in the Leiden Willeram.[10]
  • 1220–1240 – Middle Dutch te gegen and secgen are first recorded.[2][11]
  • 1236 – Cheghen “against (a rule)” appears.[2]
  • 1270–1290 – The form tegens appears.[2]
  • 1284 – Teghen is recorded.[12][13]
  • 1628 – Ampzing prescribes different uses for tegen, tegens and jegens.[2]

Meanings

Preposition

  1. against, in the opposite direction to: tegen de stroom in roeien.[14][3]
  2. Against, touching: Ze leunde tegen de muur. Tegen de lamp lopen is to be caught.[14]
  3. Against, in opposition to, in a fight or match with: Ajax speelt zondag tegen PSV.[14][1]
  4. Contrary to: tegen de regels.[14]
  5. To, towards a person, of speaking: Wat zei hij tegen je?[9][14]
  6. Towards, shortly before a time: tegen de middag.[14][9]
  7. In exchange for: tegen een kleine vergoeding.[14][9]
  8. Compared to;[14][1] (sports) versus, in scores: drie tegen één.[14][1]
  9. (Belgium) Near.[14]

Adverb

  1. Against, opposed: Ik ben ertegen. Wind tegen hebben, to have a headwind.[14][9]

Word family

  • tegendeel
  • tegendraads
  • tegenzin
  • tegenover
  • tegenkomen
  • tegenhouden
  • tegenspreken
  • tegenstander
  • tegenspraak
  • tegenstrijdig
  • tegenwoordig
  • tegengif
  • tegenspoed
  • tegenvoeter
  • integendeel
  • tegenhanger

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 l m n o p q r 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 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
  4. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  5. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  6. ^ Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 381
  8. ^ Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
  9. ^ a b c d e WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
  10. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  11. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  13. ^ 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
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  15. ^ Donselaar, J. van (1989), Woordenboek van het Surinaams-Nederlands, Muiderberg: Coutinho
  16. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
Cite this entry

“Tegen.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/nl/tegen. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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