Etymologically
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zoek

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Pronunciation

Forms

zoek (used only predicatively, not comparable)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch soec (“search”) (also feminine soeke) in the phrase ⟨te soeke(n)⟩, the preposition te with the dative of the noun; the adjective is a shortening of this phrase, later ⟨te zoek⟩.[2][3][4][5] Middle Dutch knew the phrase only in ⟨hem te soeke maken⟩ “to be absent, to be slow with an answer”; the form with ⟨n⟩ may also be the infinitive.[3][2] The noun is the same as Middle High German suoch and is made from the verb soeken, modern zoeken, which is suokan, Proto-Germanic *sōkijaną.[3][4][6] Frisian has the same phrase, to siik.[2][3]

The modern ⟨z⟩ instead of ⟨s⟩ is due to association with the verb.[2] Van Haeringen compares zeilgaan, from older ⟨te zeyl gaan⟩.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal's earliest quotation for te zoek is from 1600, and in 1630 two plans of Amsterdam are said to remain t'zoek, lost.[4] The adverb without te appears in a farce of 1639, where a landlord asks whether the money is soeck, “gone”.[4]

Semantic evolution

In the 17th century zich te zoek maken was a common phrase with several senses: to run off (1612), to hide (1664, glossing Latin absentare), to keep out of something (1623), to evade a question (1625) and to put off doing something (1641); all are now obsolete.[4] Iets te zoek maken meant to make off with something that belonged to another (1807), and in thieves' cant iemand te zoek maken was to help someone escape (1800).[4]

Today zoek is used only predicatively, especially with zijn and raken, from which the separable verbs zoekraken, zoekmaken and zoekbrengen were formed.[4][8][1] The noun lives on in op zoek “searching”, recorded from 1849;[4] Flemish has op zoek achter (1859) beside op zoek naar.[4]

Timeline

  • 1600 – Te zoek “missing”.[4]
  • 1612 – Zich te zoek maken “to run off”.[4]
  • 1639 – Zoek without te.[4]
  • 1807 – Te zoek maken “to make away with”.[4]
  • 1849 – Op zoek naar “in search of”.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (predicative only) lost, missing, gone, its whereabouts unknown: Mijn telefoon is alweer zoek.[8][1][9] Dan is het einde zoek means that chaos is complete.[8]

Noun

  1. In op zoek: searching, looking: Ze is op zoek naar een nieuwe fiets.[4]

Word family

  • zoekbrengen
  • zoekmaken
  • zoekraken

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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
  5. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 458
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  8. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  9. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org