zwellen

Forms

zwellen^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch swellen, inherited from Old Dutch *swellan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *swellan- (“to swell”), a strong verb.^[2][1][3] The same word is Old Saxon swellan, Old High German swellan (modern German schwellen), Old Frisian swella, Old English swellan (modern English swell) and Old Norse svella.^[2][3][4] Beside it stood a causative Proto-Germanic *swallijan (“to make swell”), which gave Old High German swellen and the noun Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (ufswalleins, “puffing up, arrogance”), and Middle Dutch also had a weak causative of the same form “to make swell”.^[2][4][5][6]

Kroonen calls it an exclusively Germanic verb, and its further origin is uncertain.^[3][2][7] Franck–Van Wijk and the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal compared Latin insolēscō (“to grow, become insolent”), but the EWN, following De Vaan, thinks this connection unlikely.^[8][6][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest record is a Limburg glossary of about 1240, where swellen renders Latin tumere “to be swollen” and inflare “to blow up”.^[9][2][10] In a Brabant text of 1276–1300 a priest's thumb is so badly swollen that he can hardly bear the pain, and a West Flemish text of 1285 says Sine voete suollen “his feet swelled”.^[9][2]

Semantic evolution

Middle Dutch used the verb for bodies swelling from illness or poison: a Flemish text of 1301 tells of a man who drank and swelled until he was as big as a barrel.^[11] It was also used of the mind: in a text of 1401 pride makes a man swell spiritually.^[11] The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal sorts later uses by what swells: welts from blows (1510), tired feet (1526), wounds that fester, eyes swollen with tears (1561), the chest breathing in.^[6] Zijn benen zwellen “his legs are swelling” meant that a man was drunk (1899).^[6] Today zwellen van trots is “to swell with pride”.^[12]

The weak causative zwellen “to make swell” stayed rare, used of wind filling sails (1769) and of feelings swelling the breast (1814).^[6] Negerhollands borrowed the verb as swel and Sranan Tongo as sweri, and Afrikaans has swel.^[13][1]

Timeline

• c. 1240 – Swellen glosses Latin tumere and inflare in a Limburg glossary.^[9][10]
• 1276–1300 – A priest's thumb is geswollen in a Brabant text.^[9][2]
• 1285 – Sine voete suollen “his feet swelled”, in West Flanders.^[9][2]
• 1401 – Pride makes a man zwellen spiritually.^[11]
• 1450 – The weak causative swellen “to make swell” is used of dropsy.^[11]
• 1769 – The west wind zweld the sails, in the causative sense.^[6]
• 1899 – Zijn beenen zwellen “he is drunk” is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To swell, to grow larger in volume; to expand.^[12][1][6]
2. Of feelings: to swell, in zwellen van trots “to swell with pride”.^[12][6]

Word family

• zwelling
• gezwel
• opzwellen

Related words

• English swell
• German schwellen

Usage notes

Middle Dutch had a separate strong verb swellen “to waste away, languish”, which the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal and the Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek derive from a root for burning, as in Middle Low German swelen “to wither”.^[11][6] In Flemish Belgium and Dutch Limburg zwellen also means “to parboil, to bring briefly to the boil”, which the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal places under the causative, while Debrabandere connects the Limburg word with zwelen, German schwelen “to smoulder”.^[6][14]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ Haeringen, C. B. van (1936), Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal: Supplement, 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
7. ^ Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
8. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
9. ^ 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
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 e Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
12. ^ a b c Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
13. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
14. ^ Debrabandere, Frans (2011), Limburgs etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van de woorden uit beide Limburgen, Zwolle: Wbooks