weten

Forms

weten^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch weten, inherited from Old Dutch witan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *witan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *witaną (“to know”).^[2][1] The same verb is Old Saxon witan, Old High German wizzan (modern German wissen), Old Frisian wita, Old English witan (modern English wit), Old Norse vita and Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (witan).^[2][3][4]

It is a preterite-present: the present singular, Middle Dutch weet, Old Dutch weit, is an old perfect of Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see”), so that having seen came to mean knowing.^[2][3][5] The same perfect is Ancient Greek οἶδα (oîda, “I know”), Sanskrit वेद (véda, “I know”) and Old Church Slavonic вѣдѣ (vědě, “I know”).^[2][3] Other forms of the root refer to seeing: Latin videō (“to see”) and Lithuanian veizdėti.^[2][3]

The stem *wit- with a past ending regularly gave *wiss-; because these forms no longer looked like a past tense, a new dental ending was added, which produced Middle Dutch wiste.^[2][5] Germanic derivatives of the root are wet, wijze and wijzen; wis, meaning certain, is probably an Indo-European formation, and wijten and verwittigen are related too.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch witon is recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, as in Got thu uueist unuuiti mine “God, you know my foolishness”, in the sense “to know, be aware of”.^[2][6] Middle Dutch wêten is found from about 1200.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The infinitive was used as a noun from the 13th century: a Ghent ordinance of 1236 allows something only bi der schepenen wetene, with the knowledge of the aldermen.^[8] The modern noun survives in phrases such as naar mijn beste weten “to the best of my knowledge” and tegen beter weten in “against one's better judgement”.^[9] The biblical al ons weten is stukwerk “all our knowledge is partial” uses stuk in the sense “part”.^[10]

Weetgierig “eager to learn” is recorded in 1590, after the adverb weetgierighlijck of 1570.^[2] With te and an infinitive the verb means “to manage to”.^[1][11] In northern and eastern dialects the past tense has u or o (Groningen, Overijssel, Limburg), and Zeeland has a weak past weette.^[5]

Afrikaans weet and Negerhollands weet continue the word.^[12][1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch witon is recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[13][2]
• c. 1200 – Middle Dutch wêten is recorded.^[7]
• 1236 – The noun weten “knowledge” appears in Ghent.^[8]
• 1570 – Weetgierighlijck “eagerly” is recorded.^[2]
• 1590 – Weetgierig is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To know, to be aware of: Weet jij hoe laat de winkel opengaat?^[9][1]
2. (transitive) To remember: Weet je nog die zomer in Zeeland?^[1]
3. (with te) To manage to: Hij wist op tijd te ontsnappen.^[1][11]

Noun

1. knowledge of something; in buiten mijn weten, without my knowledge.^[9]

Word family

• betweter
• wetenschap
• alleswetend
• alwetend
• onwetend
• wetenswaardig
• weetal
• weetbegeerte
• weetgierig
• weetgierigheid

Related words

• kennen
• wet
• wijs
• wijten
• verwittigen
• English wit
• German wissen

Usage notes

Flemish Middle Dutch had a separate auxiliary weten with an infinitive, meaning “let us”, recorded in West Flanders in 1285; the MNW equates it with Old English uton and links it with an Old Saxon verb “to go”.^[8][14]

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 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 Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
5. ^ a b c 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
6. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
7. ^ a b Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 437
8. ^ a b c 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 Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
10. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
11. ^ a b WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
14. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org