zeker Dutch · revision 37205

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1240, Middle Dutch (Limburg)|origins=la cūra}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈzeː.kər/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''zeker''' (comparative zekerder, superlative zekerst)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|dum|sēker]], [[inh|odt|*sikur]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*sikur|t=free, secure]], [[bor|la|sēcūrus|t=free from care, safe]].^(Wiktionary)^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971) The Latin adjective is formed from [[m|la|sē-|t=apart, without]] and [[m|la|cūra|t=care]].^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997)^(Vercoullie 1925) The borrowing is very old: [[osx|sikor|t=certain, free of]], [[goh|sihhur]] (modern [[de|sicher]]), [[ofs|sikur]] (modern [[fy|siker]]) and [[ang|sicor]] (modern dialect [[en|sicker]]) were taken from the same source, according to De Vries before the Anglo-Saxons left the Continent.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971) The ⟨i⟩ of these forms points to the pronunciation [[la-lat|sicūrus]], and the stress moved to the first syllable, as in a native word.^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|453)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)^(WNT)^(Vercoullie 1925)

+

+ The Philippa dictionary thinks it was borrowed as a legal term, in the Medieval Latin sense “exempt from tax, debt or punishment”, recorded from the 9th century.^(EWN) Old English ⟨sicor⟩ meant “free from guilt and punishment” and Old Frisian ⟨sikur⟩ “innocent”, and Old Saxon had the verb [[m|osx|sikorōn|t=to acquit]].^(EWN)^(MNW)^(De Vries 1971) The Middle Dutch dictionary calls such an early borrowed adjective a rarity.^(MNW) The same Latin word was borrowed again later as [[secuur]], while French [[m|fr|sûr]] is its inherited form.^(EWN)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Middle Dutch ''seker'' is first recorded around 1240 in a Limburg glossary, where it translates Latin ''securus'' “safe” and ''certus'' “certain”.^(VMNW)^(EWN) In a Middelburg bylaw of 1254 the word is used as a noun, “surety”: whoever holds an orphan's property must give the town ''zeker'' for it.^(VMNW)^(EWN)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Middle Dutch dictionary derives the medieval senses “calm, untroubled” and “safe, protected” from an earlier “free of guilt and punishment”, which in turn gave “reliable” and “certain”.^(MNW) By 1265–1270 one could be ''seker'' of something, “convinced”, and the adverb “certainly” appears in the late 13th century.^(EWN)^(VMNW) From 1271 ''een zeker(e)'' means “a certain”, a person or thing fixed but not named, much as ''bepaald'' is used;^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2005)^(Van der Sijs 2001) Van der Sijs links this use with French ''certain''.^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2005)^(Van der Sijs 2001) An adverb with ''-s'', ''sekers'', is found in 1555.^(EWN)

+

+ The legal noun ''zeker'' “surety, bail”, and “a person who stands surety”, is now obsolete.^(WNT) A proverb of 1636 calls him a fool who leaves the certain for the uncertain, and ''het zekere voor het onzekere nemen'' is still said for playing safe.^(WNT)^(Van Dale 2014)

+

+ Dutch or Low German gave Danish and Norwegian ''sikker'' and Swedish ''säker''.^(Van der Sijs 2010) The word went to Negerhollands as ''sekur'' and to Sranan Tongo as ''seiker'', which passed it on to Surinamese Javanese as ''séker'';^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(EWN)^(Wiktionary) West Frisian has ''seker'' from Dutch beside its native ''siker''.^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1240 – ''Seker'' glosses Latin ''securus'' in a Limburg glossary.^(VMNW)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * 1254 – A Middelburg bylaw uses ''zeker'' for a surety.^(VMNW)^(EWN)

+ * 1265–1270 – The sense “convinced” appears.^(EWN)

+ * 1271 – ''Ene zeker summe'' “a certain sum” is recorded.^(EWN)

+ * 1276–1300 – The adverb “certainly” appears.^(EWN)

+ * 1555 – The adverb ''sekers'' is recorded.^(EWN)

+ * 1636 – A proverb warns against leaving ''’t zeker'' for ''’t onzeker''.^(WNT)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|safe]], out of danger: ''Hier ben je zeker voor de storm.''^(Van Dale 2014)

+ # [[m|en|certain]], established, true: ''Het is nog niet zeker of hij komt.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Sure, [[m|en|confident]], convinced: ''zeker van zijn zaak zijn''.^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Certainly, [[m|en|surely]]: ''Ik kom zeker.'' The reply ''Zeker weten!'' means “definitely”.^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|particularly]], especially.^(Wiktionary)

+ # At least.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # A certain, some, not named more exactly: ''op zekere dag'', ''een zeker iemand''.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+ # To some degree: ''in zekere mate''.^(Van Dale 2014)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[verzekeren]]

+ * [[verzekering]]

+ * [[zekerheid]]

+ * [[zekeren]]

+ * [[zekerlijk]]

+ * [[zekerstelling]]

+ * [[onzeker]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[secuur]]

+ * [[de|sicher]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}