begrijpen Dutch · revision 37242

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited, semantic loan|attested=c. 1100, Old Dutch (Egmond Williram)|origins=gmw-pro *bigrīpan}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /bəˈɣrɛi̯pə(n)/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''begrijpen'''^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|dum|begripen]], [[inh|odt|bigrīpan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*bigrīpan]], made with the prefix [[be-]] from [[grijpen]] “to grasp”.^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(ONW) The same formation is [[gmh|begrīfen]] (modern [[de|begreifen]]), [[gml|begrīpen]] and [[fy|begripe]].^(EWN)^(MNW)

+

+ The meaning “to grasp with the mind” arose in the language of the late medieval mystics, probably after the Middle High German verb, which had itself taken that sense from [[la|comprehendō|t=to seize, embrace, understand]]; the Latin word may also have acted on Dutch directly.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912)^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|64) Van Haeringen adds that Latin may have got the figurative sense from [[grc|συλλαμβάνω|tr=sullambánō|t=to gather; to understand]].^(Van Haeringen 1936) [[vatten]] went the same way, as did [[en|grasp]].^(EWN)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old Dutch ''begriphan'' appears around 1100 in the Egmond Williram, which says that many seeds ''begriphan sint'' “are enclosed” in the one rind of a pomegranate.^(ONW)^(EWN) A Werden text of the 12th century uses ''begreif'' for “conquered”, of Egypt.^(ONW) In Middle Dutch the verb is first found at Ghent in 1236, in the sense “to take to task, reprimand”, and in 1240 it glosses Latin ''deprehendere'' “to seize”.^(EWN)^(VMNW)^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|64)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Middle Dutch ''begripen'' meant “to seize, catch”, of illness “to strike”, “to attack”, “to summon to court”, “to reprimand”, “to undertake” and “to contain, include”.^(VMNW)^(MNW) The sense “to understand” is recorded in 1430, and a thesaurus of 1573 still gives both “to understand” and “to seize”.^(EWN) In the 17th century a man could be ''begrepen op de versche daed'', caught in the act (1631).^(WNT) The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal of 1897 divided the uses into “to take hold of” and “to encompass” and noted ''begrepen'' “embarrassed” in popular speech.^(WNT) De Vreese counted the use for “to include”, after French ''comprendre'', among the Belgian gallicisms.^(De Vreese 1899)

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+ Danish ''begribe'', Norwegian ''begripe'' and Swedish ''begripa'' came from Dutch or Low German, and Sranan Tongo has ''bekrèip''.^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1100 – Old Dutch ''begriphan'' “enclosed” in the Egmond Williram.^(ONW)^(EWN)

+ * 1236 – Middle Dutch ''begripen'' “to reprimand”, at Ghent.^(EWN)^(VMNW)

+ * 1240 – ''Begripen'' glosses Latin ''deprehendere'' “to seize”.^(VMNW)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * 1430 – ''Begripen'' “to understand”.^(EWN)

+ * 1573 – A thesaurus gives ''begrijpen'' as both “understand” and “seize”.^(EWN)

+ * 1631 – ''Begrepen op de versche daed'' “caught in the act”.^(WNT)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|understand]], to [[m|en|comprehend]], to grasp: ''Begrijp je deze som?''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To take in a certain way, to gather: ''Ik begreep uit haar brief dat ze later kwam.''^(Van Dale 2014)

+ # ''(obsolete)'' To include, to [[m|en|comprise]].^(Wiktionary)^(WikiWoordenboek)^(De Vreese 1899)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[begrip]]

+ * [[begrijpbaar]]

+ * [[begrijpelijk]]

+ * [[begrijpzaam]]

+ * [[onbegrepen]]

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+ ==Related words==

+ * [[onbegrip]]

+ * [[grijpen]]

+ * [[de|begreifen]]

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+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Het op iemand begrepen hebben'' “to have it in for someone” keeps an older sense “to plot, devise”, and the negative ''het niet op iemand begrepen hebben'' means “to distrust someone”.^(Stoett 1923)^(Van Veen & Van der Sijs 1997)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}