wonen

Forms

wonen^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch wonen, inherited from Old Dutch wonon (“to dwell, stay”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *wunēn, inherited from Proto-Germanic *wunāną.^[2][1][3] The same verb is Old Saxon wonōn, Old High German wonēn (modern German wohnen), Old Frisian wunia and Old English wunian, all “to stay, dwell”, while Old Norse una means “to be content” and in Gothic there is 𐌿𐌽𐍅𐌿𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (unwunands, “discontented, troubled”).^[2][4][5] The EWN takes “to be content” as the Germanic meaning;^[2][5] Kroonen calls the verb a stative formed to the adjective Proto-Germanic *wuna(n)- (“accustomed”), the base of gewoon.^[2][5]

The verb is probably formed from the root Proto-Indo-European *wenH- (“to desire”) of waan, and the causative wennen belongs to the same root.^[2] Outside Germanic, Van Veen and Van der Sijs compare Latin venus (“love, charm”), Old Irish fonn (“pleasure”) and Sanskrit वनोति (vanóti, “he loves”), and take the basic sense to be “to like being somewhere”.^[6][7] De Vries finds this less convincing than Trier's view that “dwelling” meant staying within an enclosed space, a farmyard or a village.^[4][8] Van Haeringen gives Rooth's suggestion of a development from “to feed oneself” to “to stay”.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century have Old Dutch wonon “to dwell, stay”: Uuonon sal ic an selethon thinro an uueroldi “I shall dwell in your dwelling-place for ever”.^[2][3][10] Middle Dutch wonen appears around 1201–1225 in a text from the Lower Rhine, which says the women who live there have great joy.^[11][2]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch the verb meant to live in a place, of a country, a town, a street or a house, and also to remain or stay; the Bernardus glossary of 1240 renders Latin habitare with it.^[11][12] A Middelburg keure of 1254 distinguishes the man die buten woend, living outside the town walls, from the burgher.^[11] The infinitive was used as a noun, “dwelling, way of living”, from 1285.^[11]

Phrases with prepositions map the places people live: op een gracht wonen (on a canal, in contrast with a street) and buiten wonen (in the country) are both quoted from 1784.^[8] Van Dale records groot wonen and klein wonen for living in a large or small home.^[13]

Derivatives followed early: woning “dwelling” in the Wachtendonck Psalms, woonachtig “resident” in 1240 and woonst “residence” in 1283.^[2] The verb went into Negerhollands as woon, won or wun, and Afrikaans has woon.^[14][1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch wonon “to dwell” in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[3][10]
• 1201–1225 – Middle Dutch wonen in a text from the Lower Rhine.^[11][2]
• 1240 – The Bernardus glossary gives wonen for habitare and woninge for habitatio.^[11][2]
• 1254 – A Middelburg keure speaks of the man die buten woend.^[11]
• 1283 – Woonste “residence” is recorded.^[2]
• 1784 – Op de Keizersgragt and buiten wonen are quoted.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) to live, dwell, to have one's home somewhere: Mijn zus woont al tien jaar in Gent.^[13][15][1]
2. (with an adverb) to live in a home of a certain kind: Ze wonen ruim, met een tuin achter het huis.^[13]

Word family

• woonachtig
• woon
• woning
• woonst
• woonerf
• woongebouw
• woonhuis
• woonkamer
• woonkeuken
• woonplaats
• woonschip
• bewonen
• inwonen

Related words

• gewoon
• wennen
• waan
• German wohnen

Usage notes

In Belgium woonst is still in fairly common use for “home, dwelling”, while in the Netherlands it is dated; the EWN rejects the idea that it is a weakened woonstede.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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 Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
4. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: 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. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 445
8. ^ 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
9. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
10. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
11. ^ a b c d e f g 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
12. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
13. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
14. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org