werken

Forms

werken^[1] The Middle Dutch past tense was ⟨wrochte⟩ (eastern ⟨warchte⟩), with the participle ⟨ghewrocht⟩.^[2][3] These forms survive in Flemish.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch werken, inherited from Old Dutch wirken, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *wirkijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *wirkijaną (“to make, effect”), a verb formed in Proto-Germanic from the noun *werką (“work”), the ancestor of werk.^[3][1][4] The same verb is Old Saxon wirkian, Old High German wirken (modern German wirken) and Old Frisian wirtsa.^[3][5][6] A form with the zero grade, *wurkijaną, gave workian, wurken, Old English wyrcan (modern English work), Old Norse yrkja and Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (waurkjan).^[3][5][7] The root is Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- (“to do, make”), as in Ancient Greek ἔργον (érgon, “work”).^[3][1]

The Middle Dutch past tense ⟨wrochte⟩ and participle ⟨ghewrocht⟩ show a North Sea Germanic shift of ⟨r⟩ to the other side of the vowel before ⟨cht⟩, as in godsvrucht and wrought.^[3][7] The participle lives on in gewrocht and doorwrocht.^[3] Modern Dutch made from it a new literary verb wrochten “to create”.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch wirken first appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, in uueg uuirkit imo “make a way for him”: the oldest sense is “to make”.^[3][8][9] About 1100 the Egmond Williram uses it for doing work for one's lord.^[3][8] Middle Dutch werken “to labour” is recorded in 1240, and in 1265–1270 a text says that God wrachte “brought about” an illness.^[3]

Semantic evolution

From “to make” and “to labour” the verb came to mean having an effect, already in Old Dutch, where the psalms ask God to strengthen what he has wrought in us.^[8][3] In early modern Dutch it is the ordinary word for working for a living: a text of 1551 says that God's first penance for Adam was that he had to work and eat his bread in the sweat of his face.^[10] Of machines and plans it means “to function”, and of wood and other materials “to warp”; sailors said that a ship works when it pitches in heavy seas, and that wine works when it ferments.^[11][12] Loon naar werken, pay according to one's work, is an old proverb.^[13]

Danish and Norwegian virke “to function, have an effect” came from Dutch or Low German, and through Afrikaans the verb reached Tswana as bereke.^[14]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch uuirkit “makes” in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[3][9]
• c. 1100 – Wirken “to work for someone” in the Egmond Williram.^[3][8]
• 1201–1225 – Middle Dutch gewart “made”.^[3]
• 1240 – Werken “to labour” in a Limburg glossary.^[3][15]
• 1551 – Working for one's bread is called the first penance laid on Adam.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. To work, to labour: to be busy doing a task.^[11][1]
2. To have a job, to work for a living.^[11][16]
3. Of machines, plans or medicines: to function, to have the intended effect.^[11][1]
4. To have an effect on someone: op de lachspieren werken, to make people laugh.^[11]
5. Of wood and other materials: to warp, to change shape.^[11][1]
6. (transitive) To get something or someone into a position by effort: iemand eruit werken, to get someone dismissed.^[11]

Word family

• gewrocht
• werkelijk
• werktuig
• werkwoord
• werkbaar
• werkzaam
• werker
• werking
• werkman
• werkplaats
• bewerken
• verwerken
• medewerken

Related words

• werk
• doorwrocht
• wrochten
• English work
• German wirken

Usage notes

Kroonen treats werken “to warp”, said of wood, as a separate, rarely attested Germanic strong verb meaning “to bend”, akin to Swedish vurken “warped”.^[4] The ANW records zich de mikmak werken, to work oneself to death.^[17]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
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 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. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
7. ^ a b Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
8. ^ a b c d Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
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 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
11. ^ a b c d e f g Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
12. ^ Winschoten, Wigardus à (1681), Seeman: behelsende een grondige uitlegging van de Neederlandse konst- en spreekwoorden, voor soo veel die uit de seevaart sijn ontleend, Leiden
13. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 436
16. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
17. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org