wijn

Forms

wijn m (plural wijnen, diminutive wijntje n)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch wijn, inherited from Old Dutch wīn, borrowed from Latin vīnum (“wine, grape”), an early loan from the time of Roman wine-growing in north-western Europe.^[2][1] De Vries notes that the pronunciation of the ⟨v⟩ as /w/ shows how old the loan is.^[3] The word was borrowed into Germanic as a whole: Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽 (wein), Old High German wīn (modern German Wein), Old English wīn (modern English wine), Old Saxon wīn, Old Frisian wīn and Old Norse vín go back to Proto-Germanic *wīną.^[2][1][4] Old Irish fín is likewise from Latin, and Finnish viina and Lithuanian vỹnas were in turn borrowed from Germanic.^[3][4] Germanic gave the word neuter gender; it became masculine later, above all where no wine was grown.^[3]

The Latin word is related to Ancient Greek οἶνος (oînos), Albanian verë, Hittite wiyan- and an Armenian word, all “wine”, from Proto-Indo-European *ueih₁-, *uoih₁-, *uih₁-, which may come from a root meaning “to turn, twist” (Beekes 1987).^[2] Others think of a loan from a non-Indo-European source: Van Veen & Van der Sijs point to related words in Semitic and Etruscan and a pre-Greek language, De Vries to a Caucasian word for an alcoholic drink, and Franck–Van Wijk to an old Mediterranean language from which both the Indo-European and the Semitic words came.^[5][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch wīn is first recorded in the 10th-century Wachtendonck Psalms: thia druncun uuin “those who drank wine”.^[2][6][7] In Middle Dutch, a Ghent text of 1236 mentions enen stop wins “a jug of wine”, and a Middelburg ordinance of 1254 fines anyone who sells wine adulterated with water.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

The Middle Dutch texts already distinguish red and white wine (Dordrecht, 1286), and wijn lesen “to gather wine” meant to pick grapes.^[8] Kiliaan's dictionary lists dozens of kinds, from sweet and sour to spiced, honeyed and watered wine.^[9] From the 16th century the WNT records the trade and taxing of wine, such as the farmer of the wine excise (1624), and Bacchus as the patron of wines (1561).^[10]

Water in de wijn doen, to moderate one's demands, has been used in this sense since the 16th century.^[11] Goede wijn behoeft geen krans goes back to the rule that inns serving wine had to hang out a wreath; when the rule was dropped, inns known for good wine no longer needed one.^[5] Klare wijn schenken means to speak plainly.^[12] Today the word covers wine from other fruits as well, and grapes grown for wine; in Surinamese Dutch wijn is usually fruit wine.^[13][12][14]

Dutch passed the word to several languages: Negerhollands wien and win, Berbice Dutch win, Sranan Tongo win (from Dutch or English) and Saramaccan wín.^[15][1] Afrikaans has wyn.^[1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch wīn appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[6][7][2]
• 1100 – A text from Egmond says bezzere sint thine spune themo wine “your breasts are better than wine”.^[6]
• 1236 – Middle Dutch wijn is recorded in Ghent.^[2][8]
• 1254 – A Middelburg ordinance punishes the sale of watered wine.^[8][2]
• 1286 – Red wine is mentioned in Dordrecht.^[8]
• 1511 – Rhenish wines are named in a regulation.^[10]
• 1624 – The farmer of the wine excise is mentioned.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. wine, the alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice; also from other fruits.^[12][13][1]
2. A kind or brand of wine.^[13]
3. Grapes grown as a crop for wine.^[12][13]
4. A glass or bottle of wine.^[13]

Word family

• wijngaard
• wijnstok
• wijnazijn
• wijnboer
• wijnbouw
• wijnsteen
• wijnkoop
• appelwijn
• wijnachtig

Related words

• vignet
• English wine
• German Wein

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. ^ a b c Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
7. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
8. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
10. ^ 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
11. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
12. ^ a b c d Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
13. ^ a b c d e Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org
14. ^ Donselaar, J. van (1989), Woordenboek van het Surinaams-Nederlands, Muiderberg: Coutinho
15. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)