meer Dutch · revision 37119

+ {{homograph|1|lake}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=755–768, Old Dutch (place name Aelmere)|origins=ine-pro *móri}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /meːr/, [mɪːr]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''meer''' ''n'' (plural meren, diminutive meertje n)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The noun meaning “lake” is [[inh|dum|mere]], [[inh|odt|meri]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*mari]], [[inh|gem-pro|*mari]].^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(Kroonen 2013) The same word is [[osx|meri]] (Middle Low German ⟨mēr⟩), [[goh|meri]] (modern [[de|Meer]]), [[ofs|mere]] (modern [[fy|mar]]), [[ang|mere]] (modern [[en|mere]]), [[non|marr]] and the first part of [[got|𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃|tr=marisaiws|t=lake]], all meaning “lake” or “sea”.^(EWN)^(Kroonen 2013)^(De Vries 1971)

+

+ It is inherited from [[ine-pro|*móri|alt=*mor-i-|t=sea]], which is also the source of [[la|mare|t=sea]], [[sga|muir|t=sea]], [[cy|môr|t=sea]], [[lt|marios|t=lagoon]] and [[cu|морѥ|tr=morje|t=sea]] (modern [[ru|море|tr=móre]]).^(EWN)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Wiktionary) The word seems also to occur in old river names such as Morava, Marica and Marisos, and because ⟨*mori-⟩ and ⟨*mari-⟩ stand side by side it may be a pre-Indo-European word.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|243) It is related to [[moeras]].^(De Vries 1971)^(Kroonen 2013)^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|243)

+

+ In the other Indo-European languages the word means “sea”, but in early Germanic it also meant an inland sea or large freshwater lake; in Dutch and in poetic English this sense has replaced the original one.^(EWN)^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|243)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The word is first recorded in the place name ''Aelmere'', literally “eel lake”, the inland sea on the site of the present IJsselmeer, in a record of 755–768 surviving in a 9th-century copy.^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001)^(Van Berkel & Samplonius 2018) Further early names are ''Sunnonmeri'' (776), now Zonnemaire, and ''Pulmeri'' (10th century), now Purmerend.^(Van Berkel & Samplonius 2018) As a common noun it appears in the Egmond Willeram of about 1100, where Christ ''ouer mere mit drugon fuozen gieng'', “walked over the sea with dry feet”.^(ONW)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Middle Dutch ''mere'' meant “lake” (1240) and also “sea”, as in ''dat mere van surie'', “the Sea of Syria” (1287).^(EWN) The sense “sea” survived into the 16th century, in a crusade ''over 't meyr'' (1560), and is now only poetic.^(EWN)^(WNT) In the north the word has long named large lakes, many of them later drained.^(WNT) From the 17th century it was also the name of the polder made by draining a lake, as with the ''Diemer-Meer'' (1615, 1640).^(WNT) Old usage also included pools and marshy water, which explains plant and animal names such as ''meerkoet'' “coot”.^(WNT)

+

+ In the Southern Netherlands the word could be feminine, as in the Antwerp street name ''de Meir'', once the site of a stretch of water; its spelling ''ei'' shows the local pronunciation of the vowel.^(WNT) Afrikaans has ''meer''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 755–768 – The place name ''Aelmere'' “eel lake” is recorded.^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * c. 1100 – ''Mere'' “sea” appears in the Egmond Willeram.^(ONW)

+ * 1240 – Middle Dutch ''meere'' “lake” is recorded.^(EWN)

+ * 1287 – ''Dat mere van surie'' “the Sea of Syria” is recorded.^(EWN)

+ * 1560 – ''Over 't meyr'' “over the sea” is recorded.^(EWN)

+ * 1615 – The ''Diemer-Meer'' is named.^(WNT)

+ * 1640 – ''Meer'' is used of a drained lake, a polder.^(WNT)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|lake]], a large body of water surrounded by land: ''Ze zeilden de hele middag op het meer.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)^(ANW)

+ # ''(obsolete, poetic)'' The [[m|en|sea]].^(WNT)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(historical)'' A polder made by draining a lake.^(WNT)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[meertje]]

+ * [[meerkoet]]

+ * [[meermin]]

+ * [[meerman]]

+ * [[meerval]]

+ * [[meerkat]]

+ * [[meerschuim]]

+ * [[meerpolder]]

+ * [[binnenmeer]]

+ * [[stuwmeer]]

+ * [[kratermeer]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|more}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1100, Old Dutch (Willeram)|origins=gem-pro *maiz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /meːr/, [mɪːr]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''meer'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The word meaning “more” is [[inh|dum|meer]], earlier [[m|dum|mee]], [[inh|odt|mēr]], [[inh|gem-pro|*maiz]].^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(De Vries 1971) ⟨Mee⟩ is the regular form, and the ⟨r⟩ of ⟨meer⟩ came in under the influence of the adjective [[m|dum|mere|t=greater]].^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|243) The same adverb is [[osx|mēr]], [[goh|mēr]] (modern [[de|mehr]]), [[ofs|mār]], [[ang|mā]], [[non|meir]] and [[got|𐌼𐌰𐌹𐍃|tr=mais]].^(EWN)^(Orel 2003)^(De Vries 1971)

+

+ Beside it stood the adjective [[gem-pro|*maizô|alt=*maiza-|t=greater]], which gave Old Dutch ⟨mēro⟩, [[osx|mēro]], [[goh|mēro]], [[ang|māra]] (modern [[en|more]]), [[non|meiri]] and [[got|𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌶𐌰|tr=maiza]]; it served as the comparative of ⟨*mekila-⟩ “great”.^(EWN)^(Kroonen 2013) Adding a new comparative suffix to it gave Old Dutch ⟨mērro⟩, Middle Dutch ⟨meerre⟩, the source of [[meerder]], and Old High German ⟨mēriro⟩ (modern German ⟨mehrere⟩).^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912) The superlative is [[meest]].^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)

+

+ Certain cognates outside Germanic are lacking.^(EWN) The Germanic form is traced to a Proto-Indo-European comparative ⟨*meh₂-is⟩ or ⟨*moh₁-is⟩.^(EWN)^(Kroonen 2013) It has traditionally been compared with [[osc|mais|t=more]], but that word, like [[la|magis|t=more]], may belong to the root of [[mega-]];^(EWN)^(Kroonen 2013) the Germanic word probably belongs to a root ⟨*meh₁-⟩ “great”, seen also in [[cy|mwy|t=more]] and [[sga|mór|t=great]].^(EWN)^(Kroonen 2013)^(Orel 2003)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old Dutch ''mēr'' is recorded in the Willeram of about 1100, as an adverb in ''meer ande meer ze stinchene'', “to smell sweeter and sweeter”, and as a numeral with a genitive.^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001) The adjective ''mēro'' “greater” is older, used as a noun, ''merra'' “greater ones”, in the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century.^(EWN) Middle Dutch ''mee'' appears in Ghent in 1236, in ''si het me of min'' “whether more or less often”.^(EWN)^(VMNW)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old Dutch ''niemer mer'' meant “never again” (1151–1200).^(EWN) Middle Dutch used ''mee'' and ''meer'' for “more, to a greater degree”, “more often”, “rather” and “further”, and formed ''no mee no min'' “neither more nor less, exactly”.^(VMNW)^(WNT) Phrases of steady increase such as ''lanc so meer'' gave way to ''hoe langer hoe meer'', and ''des te meer'' contains an old instrumental of the pronoun.^(WNT)^(VMNW)

+

+ As the adjective ''mere'' “greater” fell out of use, ''meer'' came to be understood only as adverb and numeral, and ''meerder'' took over the adjective.^(WNT) The adjectival comparative now survives in ''tot meerdere eer en glorie'', in ''iemands meerderen'' “one's superiors” and in ''meerderheid'', while ''meerdere'' in the sense “several” (1859) imitates German ''mehrere''.^(EWN) Negerhollands had ''meer'' and Berbice Dutch ''mere''.^(Van der Sijs 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 901–1000 – The adjective ''merra'' “greater ones” appears in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^(EWN)

+ * c. 1100 – ''Mēr'' “more” appears in the Willeram.^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * 1151–1200 – ''Niemer mer'' “never again” is recorded.^(EWN)

+ * 1236 – Middle Dutch ''mee'' is recorded in Ghent.^(EWN)^(VMNW)

+ * 1237 – The form ''meer'' is recorded.^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|243)

+ * 1859 – ''Meerdere'' “several” is used after German ''mehrere''.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|more]], to a greater degree: ''Hij lijkt meer op zijn moeder.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # More truly, rather: ''Het was meer een wandeling dan een tocht.''^(Van Dale 2014)

+ # Besides, further, as in ''en zo meer'' “and so on”.^(Van Dale 2014)

+ # ''(with a negation)'' [[m|en|anymore]], any longer: ''Ze woont hier niet meer.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # More often, as in ''meer dan eens'' “more than once, repeatedly”.^(Van Dale 2014)

+

+ ===Numeral===

+ # A greater amount or number: ''Er kwamen meer mensen dan verwacht.''^(EWN)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[meerder]]

+ * [[meerderheid]]

+ * [[meermaals]]

+ * [[meermalen]]

+ * [[meerwaarde]]

+ * [[immer]]

+ * [[nimmer]]

+ * [[nimmermeer]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[moeras]]

+ * [[meest]]

+ * [[en|mere]]

+ * [[de|Meer]]

+ * [[de|mehr]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Older and regional Dutch had further words spelled ''meer''.^(WNT) One is ''meer'' “boundary, boundary post”, Middle Dutch ''mere'' (Brussels 1284), now obsolete.^(Debrabandere 2010)^(WNT) Another is ''meer'' “mare”, a variant of ''merrie'', still known in Brabant and Limburg dialects.^(WNT)^(Debrabandere 2011)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}