worden

Forms

worden (past werd, plural werden; past participle geworden)^[2] Middle Dutch used the infinitives werden, worden and warden.^[3][2] In Holland werden was the usual form until about 1570, after which worden gained ground.^[2] In 1793 Marin called werden a mistake.^[2] The past wierd arose by analogy, spread from 16th-century Flanders and lived on as a solemn, archaic variant into the 20th century.^[2] Werden and wierd survive in Flemish and Limburg dialects.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch werden, inherited from Old Dutch werthan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *werþan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *werþan-.^[4][1][5] The same verb is Old Saxon werthan, Old High German werdan (modern German werden), Old Frisian wertha, Old English weorðan, Old Norse verða and Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰𐌽 (wairþan).^[4][5][6] The Old English verb survives only in the archaic English phrase ⟨woe worth the day⟩.^[7]

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn”), whose original meaning is kept in Latin vertō (“to turn”), Sanskrit वर्तते (vártate, “turns, rolls”) and Lithuanian versti (“to turn over”).^[4][8][9] In Germanic the meaning shifted from “to turn” to “to turn into, become”;^[5][1] Kroonen suggests that Old High German wurst (“sausage”) may preserve the older sense “twist”.^[5][1] The idea of turning is still visible in the suffix -waarts, as in voorwaarts, and the EWN connects waard as well.^[4][8] De Vries and De Tollenaere suggest that becoming may have been pictured as the result of braiding the thread of fate.^[10]

The usual Middle Dutch infinitive was ⟨werden⟩, with the past singular ⟨wart⟩ and the plural and participle ⟨worden⟩.^[4] The ⟨o⟩ of the modern infinitive arose from ⟨e⟩ after ⟨w⟩, a regional change, helped by the instability of /a/ before /r/ and a dental and by analogy.^[4][7][2] Franck and Van Wijk derived it instead from the second and third person singular, an explanation Van Haeringen found unconvincing.^[8][7] The forms ⟨worden⟩, ⟨werd⟩ and ⟨geworden⟩ became fixed in the standard language from the 18th century.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb is recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, in that … gebulgan uuerthe Got “that God becomes angry” and Feita sulun uuerthun sconitha uuostinnon “the beauties of the wilderness shall grow rich”.^[4] In the first half of the 11th century Crist uuarth giuund “Christ was wounded” already shows it with a past participle.^[4]

Semantic evolution

In Old Dutch the verb meant to happen, to come into being and to fall to someone's lot, and as a link verb to become; with a participle it sometimes rendered a Latin passive.^[11] Middle Dutch kept these senses and added “to begin to” with te, a use still found in the southern dialects.^[12][3] The 1526 Bible renders “Let there be light” as Het worde licht, with het where modern Dutch has er.^[2]

In modern Dutch the verb is above all a link verb and the auxiliary of the passive.^[13][1] Dutch carried it overseas: Afrikaans has word, Negerhollands word, Sranan worde “to arise, result”, and Papiamentu borrowed wòrdu as a passive auxiliary.^[14][1] In Petjo worden also means to have one's turn in a game.^[14]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – The verb appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[4][15]
• 1001–1050 – Crist uuarth giuund “Christ was wounded” is recorded.^[4]
• c. 1100 – The Willeram uses it for “to arise, come into being”.^[4][11]
• 1200 – Middle Dutch werden is recorded in Limburg.^[12]
• Late 13th century – The form worden appears beside werden.^[10]
• 1526 – Het worde licht renders “Let there be light”.^[2]
• c. 1570 – Worden begins to replace werden in Holland.^[2]
• 1793 – Marin calls the infinitive werden a mistake.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To become, to get, to turn: a link verb: Het wordt al vroeg donker.^[13][1][16]
2. Forming the passive voice with a past participle: De pakketten worden morgen bezorgd.^[13][1]
3. (with er) To come into being, to arise.^[11][2]

Word family

• wording
• geworden
• verworden
• gewaarworden

Related words

• worst
• worstelen
• wartel
• German werden

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 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
3. ^ a b Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
6. ^ Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b c Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
8. ^ a b c Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
9. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
10. ^ a b Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 445
11. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
12. ^ a b 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
13. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
14. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
16. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org