zeker

Forms

zeker (comparative zekerder, superlative zekerst)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch sēker, inherited from Old Dutch *sikur, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *sikur (“free, secure”), borrowed from Latin sēcūrus (“free from care, safe”).^[1][2][3] The Latin adjective is formed from sē- (“apart, without”) and cūra (“care”).^[4][5] The borrowing is very old: Old Saxon sikor (“certain, free of”), Old High German sihhur (modern German sicher), Old Frisian sikur (modern West Frisian siker) and Old English sicor (modern dialect English sicker) were taken from the same source, according to De Vries before the Anglo-Saxons left the Continent.^[2][3] The ⟨i⟩ of these forms points to the pronunciation Late Latin sicūrus, and the stress moved to the first syllable, as in a native word.^[6][7][8][5]

The Philippa dictionary thinks it was borrowed as a legal term, in the Medieval Latin sense “exempt from tax, debt or punishment”, recorded from the 9th century.^[2] Old English ⟨sicor⟩ meant “free from guilt and punishment” and Old Frisian ⟨sikur⟩ “innocent”, and Old Saxon had the verb sikorōn (“to acquit”).^[2][9][3] The Middle Dutch dictionary calls such an early borrowed adjective a rarity.^[9] The same Latin word was borrowed again later as secuur, while French sûr is its inherited form.^[2][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Middle Dutch seker is first recorded around 1240 in a Limburg glossary, where it translates Latin securus “safe” and certus “certain”.^[10][2] In a Middelburg bylaw of 1254 the word is used as a noun, “surety”: whoever holds an orphan's property must give the town zeker for it.^[10][2]

Semantic evolution

The Middle Dutch dictionary derives the medieval senses “calm, untroubled” and “safe, protected” from an earlier “free of guilt and punishment”, which in turn gave “reliable” and “certain”.^[9] By 1265–1270 one could be seker of something, “convinced”, and the adverb “certainly” appears in the late 13th century.^[2][10] From 1271 een zeker(e) means “a certain”, a person or thing fixed but not named, much as bepaald is used;^[2][11][12] Van der Sijs links this use with French certain.^[2][11][12] An adverb with -s, sekers, is found in 1555.^[2]

The legal noun zeker “surety, bail”, and “a person who stands surety”, is now obsolete.^[8] A proverb of 1636 calls him a fool who leaves the certain for the uncertain, and het zekere voor het onzekere nemen is still said for playing safe.^[8][13]

Dutch or Low German gave Danish and Norwegian sikker and Swedish säker.^[14] The word went to Negerhollands as sekur and to Sranan Tongo as seiker, which passed it on to Surinamese Javanese as séker;^[14][2][1] West Frisian has seker from Dutch beside its native siker.^[14][2][1]

Timeline

• c. 1240 – Seker glosses Latin securus in a Limburg glossary.^[10][12]
• 1254 – A Middelburg bylaw uses zeker for a surety.^[10][2]
• 1265–1270 – The sense “convinced” appears.^[2]
• 1271 – Ene zeker summe “a certain sum” is recorded.^[2]
• 1276–1300 – The adverb “certainly” appears.^[2]
• 1555 – The adverb sekers is recorded.^[2]
• 1636 – A proverb warns against leaving ’t zeker for ’t onzeker.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. safe, out of danger: Hier ben je zeker voor de storm.^[13]
2. certain, established, true: Het is nog niet zeker of hij komt.^[13][1]
3. Sure, confident, convinced: zeker van zijn zaak zijn.^[13][1]

Adverb

1. Certainly, surely: Ik kom zeker. The reply Zeker weten! means “definitely”.^[13][1]
2. particularly, especially.^[1]
3. At least.^[1]

Pronoun

1. A certain, some, not named more exactly: op zekere dag, een zeker iemand.^[13][15]
2. To some degree: in zekere mate.^[13]

Word family

• verzekeren
• verzekering
• zekerheid
• zekeren
• zekerlijk
• zekerstelling
• onzeker

Related words

• secuur
• German sicher

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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 Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
4. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
5. ^ a b Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
6. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 453
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 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. ^ a b c Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
10. ^ 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
11. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2005), Groot leenwoordenboek, Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale
12. ^ a b c Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
13. ^ a b c d e f g Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
14. ^ a b c Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
15. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org