Etymologically
Log in

zoeken

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 15:25. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ˈzu.kə(n)/[1]
  • Brabant: [ˈzuː.kə(n)][1]

Forms

zoeken (past zocht, past participle gezocht)[2][3] Regional forms are zuken and zuiken in Flanders, zouken in Groningen and the west, zoken in Twente and the Achterhoek, and zeuken.[2] In the south-east it is a weak verb, and Gezelle wrote the participle gezoken.[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch soeken, inherited from Old Dutch suoken, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *sōkijan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *sōkijaną (“to seek”).[4][1][5] The same verb is Old Saxon sōkian, Old High German suohhen (modern German suchen), Old Frisian sēka (modern West Frisian sykje), Old English sēcan (modern English seek), Old Norse sœkja and Gothic 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (sōkjan).[4][6][5]

The root is Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g- (“to follow a trail”), also in Latin sāgiō (“to perceive keenly”), Old Irish saigid (“seeks”) and, less certainly, Ancient Greek ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai, “to lead the way”).[4][6][1] De Vries supposes that the verb was first said of a hunting dog picking up the scent.[6][2] It is related by ablaut to zaak and its strong verb Proto-Germanic *sakaną (“to dispute”), as Old English sōcn (“inquiry, lawsuit”) shows;[4][7][8][5] Franck–Van Wijk found the link in meaning hard to see.[4][7][8][5] Kroonen notes that it looks like a causative, but the Greek and Latin cognates make that unlikely.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch suokan is first recorded in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century, both for trying to find (suokit got “seek God”) and for striving after something (thia suocunt uuel mi “those who seek to do me harm”).[4][9][10] Middle Dutch soeken appears in Ghent in 1237, and about 1240 a Limburg glossary gives suken for Latin quaerere.[4][11]

Semantic evolution

The general sense in all the Germanic languages was “to try to find” something lost or to obtain something such as a post or comfort; from it came “to strive after”, which Dutch keeps in phrases like ruzie zoeken “to pick a quarrel”.[4] In the 13th century the verb also meant “to think out”, “to fetch”, “to lay claim to”, “to visit” and “to attack”.[11][8]

The proverb soort zoekt soort, birds of a feather flock together, goes back to Middle Dutch ghelijc suect sijns ghelijc.[12] Surinamese Dutch uses zoeken for “to court” and “to fetch”.[3] The verb went into Sranan Tongo (Sranan Tongo suku), the Maroon languages of Suriname and Negerhollands, and Afrikaans has soek, whence South African English soek “to look for (trouble)”.[13][1]

Timeline

  • 901–1000 – Old Dutch suokan “to seek” in the Wachtendonck Psalms.[4][9][10]
  • 1237 – Middle Dutch soeken, in Ghent.[4][11]
  • c. 1240 – Suken glosses Latin quaerere in Limburg.[11]
  • 1562 – Al soeckende “searching” of tracking a trail.[2]
  • 1919 – The zoekend relais “selector relay” of the automatic telephone.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To search, to look for: ik zoek mijn sleutels, I'm looking for my keys;[14][1] zoeken naar, to search for.[14][1]
  2. To seek, to try to obtain or reach: werk zoeken, to look for a job.[14][15]
  3. To provoke by one's behaviour: hij zoekt het zelf, he is asking for it.[14]
  4. To seize every chance to find fault with someone.[14]

Word family

  • vergezocht
  • zoeker
  • zoeklicht
  • zoekmachine
  • zoekrobot
  • zoektocht
  • aanzoeken
  • afzoeken
  • bezoeken
  • doorzoeken
  • onderzoeken
  • opzoeken
  • bezoek
  • verzoek
  • onderzoek

Usage notes

Zich gek zoeken is to search everywhere in vain.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Donselaar, J. van (1989), Woordenboek van het Surinaams-Nederlands, Muiderberg: Coutinho
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum
  8. ^ a b c Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  9. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  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 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. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  14. ^ a b c d e f Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  15. ^ WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org