zinken

Forms

zinken^[1] Strong verb: past tense zonk, past participle gezonken.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch sinken, inherited from Old Dutch *sincan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *sinkwan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *sinkwan- (“to sink”).^[3][1][4] The same verb is Old Saxon sinkan, Old High German sinkan (modern German sinken), Old Frisian sinka, Old English sincan (modern English sink), Old Norse søkkva (Swedish sjunka) and Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌲𐌵𐌰𐌽 (sigqan), all meaning “to fall, go down, sink” or the like.^[3][4] The Old Frisian form does not have the expected shape ⟨*siunka⟩ and may be borrowed.^[3]

A causative *sankwijan- (“to make sink”) gave Middle Dutch senken (Old Dutch already besenken), Old Saxon senkian, Old High German senken and Old English sencan.^[3] The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal explains that ⟨e⟩ before a nasal and consonant became ⟨i⟩, so that ⟨zinken⟩ and ⟨zenken⟩ fell together in Middle Dutch and the transitive ⟨zinken⟩ took the strong forms ⟨zonk⟩, ⟨gezonken⟩; ⟨zenken⟩ is found only a few times later.^[2][5]

The root is Proto-Indo-European *sengʷ- (“to sink, fall”), to which the EWN and Wiktionary assign Old Armenian անկանիմ (ankanim, “to fall”) and a Greek verb meaning “to throw down”.^[3][1][6] Baltic and Slavic words for subsiding and drying up may belong to a different root.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is figurative, in an East Flemish text of 1260–1280: hi lite hem sinken jndie minne dat hire jn baede ouer die kinne “he let himself sink into love until he bathed in it above his chin”.^[3][8][9] Literal sinking to the bottom of the sea follows: sinken te gronde (1276–1300).^[3]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch used sinken for going to the bottom of the water, for a sea monster letting itself sink, for going down in general and the setting of the sun, for a swelling working its way inwards (1265–1270), and for collapsing.^[8][3] The Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek adds the lowering of a liquid, the calming of violent feeling, and food being digested.^[5]

Early Modern Dutch had zinken als een steen “to sink like a stone” and sinking into mud or a bog, often figuratively.^[2] The idiom de moed zinkt hem in de schoenen “his courage sinks into his shoes” is found from the 16th century.^[10] In the old theory of the humours, zinking (1573) was the sinking of fluids from the brain to another part of the body, and then the catarrh or rheumatic pain thought to result.^[2]

The verb was borrowed into Papiamentu as senk and into Negerhollands as senk, and survives in Afrikaans sink.^[11][1]

Timeline

• 1260–1280 – Hi lite hem sinken jndie minne is the first record.^[3][9]
• 1265–1270 – A swelling is said to sink inwards towards the heart.^[3][8]
• 1276–1300 – Sinken te gronde “sink to the bottom” is recorded.^[3]
• 1538 – A light insect is said not to sink when it walks on water.^[2]
• 1573 – The derivative zinking is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To sink, go down in a liquid.^[12][1][13]
2. To go down, descend; figuratively, to fall morally, as diep gezonken.^[12]
3. To make sink, lower into water or the ground.^[2]

Word family

• bezinken
• ontzinken
• wegzinken
• zinker
• zinking
• zinkgat
• zinklood
• zinkput
• zinkstuk

Related words

• English sink
• German sinken

Usage notes

Dutch also has an adjective zinken “made of zinc”, first quoted in 1896, which has a separate source: it is formed from zink with the adjective suffix -en.^{[14][2][1][12]} Het zinkende schip verlaten is to abandon an organisation whose position becomes uncertain.^[12]

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 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 c d e f g h i j k 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
4. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
6. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
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 Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
10. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
11. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
12. ^ a b c d Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
13. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
14. ^ Algemeen Nederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; anw.ivdnt.org