waarheid

Forms

waarheid f (plural waarheden, diminutive waarheidje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch waerhede, inherited from Old Dutch wārheit, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *wārahaidu (“truth”).^[1][2] It is formed from the adjective waar “true” with the suffix -heid, which makes abstract nouns.^[2][3][4] The same formation is Old Saxon wārhēd and Old High German wārheit, modern German Wahrheit, and Middle Low German has wârheit.^[5][6]

The adjective goes back to Proto-Germanic *wēraz, which the EWN connects with Latin vērus (“true”) and derives from Proto-Indo-European *weh₁-ro-.^[7][1] Its further origin is uncertain; the EWN suggests a possible link with the Germanic stem of waarnemen.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun is the first form of the word family to be recorded: the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century have Santa got ginatha sina in uuarheit sina, “God sent his grace and his truth”.^[7][2] There it means “truth” and also “truthfulness, faithfulness”.^[2] The Old Dutch fragments from Werden of about 1151 use bī ther wārhēt for “truly, in truth”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch the word is first found around 1200 in the Lower Rhine area, in the phrase die rehte warheit “the plain truth”.^[3] In 13th-century charters it served in fixed formulas: aldermen of Bruges sealed a deed in 1279 “in knowledge of the truth”, to give the document legal force.^[3] The Middle Dutch dictionaries also record the senses “judicial inquiry”, “sworn statement” and “word of honour”, and later “sincerity” (1470), “reality” (1320) and “certainty” (1390).^[3][6] People swore bi waerhede, an oath that turned into a self-curse if it was broken.^[8]

In religious use truth is a quality of God and a name for God himself, as in the Bible verse ik ben de weg en de waarheid en het leven, quoted in a translation of 1526.^[4] From this came the sense “the true faith”, found in the phrase in de waarheid wandelen, after 2 John 1:4.^[9][4] A dictionary of 1778 describes Truth as an allegorical goddess, daughter of Saturn and mother of Virtue.^[4] De naakte waarheid “the naked truth” is a translation of Latin nuda veritas.^[10]

The proverb kinderen en dronken mensen zeggen de waarheid already has medieval forerunners.^[11] The word was borrowed into Negerhollands as waarheit, waerheit and several other forms, and Afrikaans has waarheid.^[12][1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – The Wachtendonck Psalms speak of God's uuarheit.^[2][7]
• 1151 – The Werden fragments use bī ther wārhēt “in truth”.^[2]
• c. 1200 – Middle Dutch warheit is first recorded, in the Lower Rhine area.^[3]
• 1279 – A Bruges charter is sealed “in knowledge of the truth”.^[3]
• 1526 – A Bible translation has Jesus call himself the way, the truth and the life.^[4]
• 1778 – Truth is described as an allegorical goddess.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. truth, the agreement between a statement or belief and the facts as they are: Ze heeft ons nooit de waarheid verteld.^[9][1][13]
2. A truth, something that is true: een waarheid als een koe, a truth too obvious to need saying.^[9]
3. (religion) The true faith.^[9][4]

Word family

• waarheidsgehalte
• waarheidsliefde
• waarheidszin
• waarheidlievend
• waarheidsgetrouw

Related words

• waar
• German Wahrheit

Usage notes

Iemand de waarheid zeggen means to tell someone frankly what they did wrong, and bezijden de waarheid “beside the truth” is a euphemism for “untrue”.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
3. ^ 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
4. ^ 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
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
6. ^ a b Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
7. ^ a b c d 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
8. ^ Sterkenburg, P. G. J. van (2001), Vloeken: een cultuurbepaalde reactie op woede, irritatie en frustratie, 2nd ed., Den Haag: Sdu
9. ^ a b c d e Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
10. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
11. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
13. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org