zonder

Forms

zonder^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch sonder, inherited from Old Dutch sunder, inherited from Proto-Germanic *sunder (“apart, separately”).^[2][1][3] The same word is Old Saxon sundar (“separate”), Old High German suntar (“apart, separate, but”) (German sonder- in compounds, and sondern (“but”)), Old Frisian sunder (“without, except”), Old English sundor (“apart”) (modern English asunder), Old Norse sundr (“asunder”) and Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍂𐍉 (sundro, “apart, alone”).^[2][4][5] Its first meaning was “apart, separate”, which is still clear in afzonderen and uitzonderen.^[2][6][5]

Outside Germanic the closest match is Ancient Greek ἄτερ (áter, “without”), from Proto-Indo-European *sn̥tér.^[2][1] The root *sen- (“apart”) is also in Sanskrit सनुतर् (sanutár, “aside, far away”), and without the ⟨t⟩ suffix in Latin sine (“without”), Avestan hanarə (“without”) and Old Irish sain (“different, special”).^[2][4][5][1] The Philippa dictionary also allows a derivation of the Germanic and Greek forms from *sm̥-tero-, a comparative of the root for “one”, which Franck–Van Wijk thought less likely.^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word first appears in the Old Dutch Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century: sunder saca gerihtoda ik herta min, “without cause I justified my heart”.^[2][7][8] In 1236 a charter from Ghent blesses those who keep it sonder ende, “without end”, and the same text uses sonder as a conjunction meaning “except”.^[2][9]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch used sonder as a preposition, as a conjunction “except, unless” and, like German sondern, as “but, on the contrary”.^[9][4][5] The construction with te and an infinitive is already in the Ghent text of 1236: striking one's neighbour sonder bluod te stortene, without shedding blood.^[9] A Limburg glossary of 1240 renders Latin impubes as sunder bart, “beardless”.^[9] From the old adjectival use came niet zonders “nothing special” (1578), now regional in North Holland and West Friesland.^[10]

Dutch passed the preposition on to Indonesian (sonder, zonder), many local varieties of Malay, Javanese and Sranan Tongo (sondro), as well as to Negerhollands and Berbice Dutch.^[11][1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – Old Dutch sunder “without” in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^[2][7][8]
• 1236 – Sonder ende “without end” and sonder “except” in a Ghent charter.^[2][9]
• 1240 – Sunder bart “beardless” in a Limburg glossary.^[9]
• 1254 – A Middelburg ordinance on going armed zonder ghelede, without an escort.^[9]
• 1578 – Niet sonders “nothing special”.^[10]

Meanings

Preposition

1. without: expressing that something is absent or lacking: koffie zonder suiker.^[12][1]
2. Not having, not in possession of: zonder geld zitten.^[12]
3. Without the involvement of, outside: zonder mij werd er beslist.^[12]
4. Before an infinitive with te: without doing: hij vertrok zonder te groeten.^[12]
5. (conjunction, with dat) Without the thing in the clause happening: zij ging weg zonder dat iemand het zag.^[12]

Word family

• zonderling
• afzonderen
• uitzonderen
• uitzondering
• bijzonder

Related words

• English asunder
• English sunder
• German sondern

Usage notes

Fixed phrases include zonder gekheid “seriously, joking apart” and zonder pardon “without mercy”.^[12] The Middle Dutch sonder “sinner” is a different word, a form of zondaar that was lost after the 17th century.^[13][10]

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 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
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
4. ^ a b c Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
6. ^ Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
7. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
8. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
9. ^ a b c d e f g 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
10. ^ a b c 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
11. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
12. ^ a b c d e f Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
13. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org