vertrouwen

Forms

vertrouwen (verb: past vertrouwde, past participle vertrouwd; noun: het vertrouwen, neuter, uncountable)^[1][2]

Etymology

It is formed from Dutch ver- + trouwen, the verb trouwen in its rare old sense “to trust, to hope”, itself a derivative of the noun trouw.^[3][2][1] The Philippa dictionary explains it as a 16th-century replacement of the prefix: Middle Dutch said betrouwen (from 1290) and getrouwen (from about 1240) for “to trust”, while ⟨vertrouwen⟩ hardly occurs, and the new form probably followed the High German verb vertrauen.^[3][4][2] The verb is old in the neighbouring languages: Old High German firtrūēn and Old English fortrūwian were reflexive, meaning “to trust in” and “to trust too much in”.^[5][6]

Of the older verbs, ⟨getrouwen⟩ died out at the end of the Middle Dutch period.^[3] ⟨Betrouwen⟩ went out of use in the Netherlands after the 19th century but lives on in Flemish speech and in betrouwbaar (1644) and onbetrouwbaar.^[3][2] The noun vertrouwen (“trust”) is the infinitive used as a noun, from the 16th century.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Middle Dutch vertrouwen is rare, and the few records do not yet mean “to trust”.^[7][2] In 1398 it appears in the phrase enen des niet toe en vertrouwen, not to expect something of someone, not to think them capable of it.^[3][8] In eastern texts it also meant to give someone in marriage.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The modern sense, to rely on someone or something, is first recorded in 1556, in a dictionary.^[3][9][2] By 1562 the verb could mean to be firmly convinced (wy vertrouwen dat wy een goede consciencie hebben, “we trust that we have a good conscience”), and in 1611 to count on something.^[3] Its use with a negative, of a person who cannot be trusted, appears in 1656: de Bantammers … niet te vertrouwen, said of the people of Banten in Java.^[3] The noun, vertrouwen “trust”, is recorded from 1556 as well, and the political phrase de kwestie van vertrouwen stellen became the term for a minister asking parliament whether it still trusts the minister.^[2][10]

The proverb zoals de waard is, vertrouwt hij zijn gasten says that people judge others by themselves;^[11][2] Stoett traces it through Huygens and Tuinman, who still wrote betrouwt.^[11][2] De Vreese criticised Flemish man van vertrouwen and reflexive zich vertrouwen op as translations of French homme de confiance and se fier à.^[12]

The verb went abroad with Dutch: Afrikaans has vertrou, Sranan Tongo fertrow “to count on”, and Swedish förtro “to confide” comes from Dutch or Low German.^[1][13]

Timeline

• 1398 – Middle Dutch vertrouwen in the sense “to expect (of someone)”.^[3][8]
• 1556 – Vertrouwen “to rely on” is first recorded, and the noun with it.^[9][2]
• 1562 – The verb is used for “to be sure, to be convinced”.^[3]
• 1644 – Betrouwbaar “trustworthy”, from the older verb, appears.^[3]
• 1656 – Niet te vertrouwen “not to be trusted” is first recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To trust, to believe that someone is honest or reliable: Ik vertrouw die buurman niet.^[10][2][1]
2. (transitive) Of a thing or situation: to feel no suspicion about it;^[10] iets niet vertrouwen is to sense that something is wrong.^[10]
3. (intransitive, with op) To rely on, to count on: Je kunt op haar vertrouwen.^[2][1][14]
4. (transitive, with a clause) To be confident, to hope firmly: We vertrouwen erop dat alles goed komt.^[2][3]
5. (obsolete, reflexive) To marry.^[1][7]

Noun

1. Trust, confidence: firm belief in the reliability of a person or thing.^[10][14][2]

Word family

• toevertrouwen
• vertrouwelijk
• vertrouweling
• vertrouwd
• wantrouwen
• zelfvertrouwen
• vertrouwenskwestie
• vertrouwenspersoon

Related words

• trouw
• trouwen
• betrouwbaar
• German vertrauen

Usage notes

Iemand in vertrouwen nemen is to tell someone something in confidence, and goed van vertrouwen zijn is to be too ready to believe others.^[10] In Belgium the older verb betrouwen is still heard in the same sense.^[3][2]

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 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 408
5. ^ Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
6. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
7. ^ a b c Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
10. ^ a b c d e f Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
11. ^ a b Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
12. ^ Vreese, Willem de (1899), Gallicismen in het Zuidnederlandsch, Gent: Siffer
13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
14. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org