heer Dutch · revision 37370

+ {{homograph|1|lord, gentleman}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=901–1000, Wachtendonck Psalms|origins=goh hēr}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɦeːr/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''heer''' ''m'' (plural heren, diminutive heertje n)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The lord is [[inh|dum|hêre]], [[inh|odt|hērro]], [[bor|goh|hēriro|t=ruler, man of rank]], originally the comparative of the adjective [[m|goh|hēr|t=old, venerable, distinguished]].^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(ONW) The title was coined in Old High German in the Frankish period, after the model of [[la-lat|senior|t=elder]], itself a comparative of [[m|la|senex|t=old]], which had already given [[fro|seigneur]] and [[m|fro|sire]] as forms of address for rulers.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912) De Vries puts its rise around 600 in the Old High German area, perhaps already in Frankish Gaul, from where it spread north into Dutch, Low German and Frisian.^(De Vries 1971)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912) From Old High German, shortened to [[m|goh|hērro]] (modern [[de|Herr]]), the word passed to [[osx|hērro]] and [[ofs|hēra]], and through Old Saxon to [[ang|hearra]] and [[non|herra]].^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)

+

+ The adjective [[m|goh|hēr]] (modern [[de|hehr]]) has hardly any Germanic parallels; if its first sense was “grey-haired”, it is the same word as [[m|ang|hār]] and [[m|non|hárr]], from [[gem-pro|*hairaz|alt=*haira-|t=grey]].^(EWN)^(VMNW)^(Wiktionary) The new title pushed out the older Germanic word [[m|goh|frō|t=lord]], which survives in Dutch only indirectly, in [[vrouw]] and the old [[m|dum|vrone|t=of the lords]], and also the Old Dutch [[m|odt|druhtīn]], whose first element lives on in [[drost]].^(EWN)^(WNT) In imitation of French and German usage, the word was used for God and Christ already in Old Dutch.^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2005)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In the Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century ''hērro'' renders Latin ''dominus'' “the Lord” in the Old Low Franconian part (Psalms 53–72), while the older psalm verses still use ''druhtīn''; the change marks a newer word replacing an older one.^(ONW)^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001) Around 1100 a text from Egmond uses it of the lord of the vineyard.^(ONW)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Middle Dutch ''here'' covered a lord, a ruler and a leader, God, and a gentleman addressed with respect; before a name it was usually shortened to ''her''.^(EWN)^(Wiktionary) The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal orders the senses from the title a subject gives to his ruler: the sovereign of a land, lower princes, and the lord of a manor, as in ''Heer van Odijk'' (1687).^(WNT) The weaker sense, any man of good manners and education, and the polite word for a man in general, as in ''dames en heren'', come later in the dictionaries' order.^(WNT)^(Van Dale 2014) From 1717 ''heer'' is also the king in a pack of cards.^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+

+ The plural is spelled ''heren'' today, but the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal kept ''heeren'', the usual spelling for three centuries.^(WNT) The word spread to Scots (obsolete ''here'', ''her'' “sir; master”), to Finnish ''herra'', to South African English, Negerhollands and Papiamentu, and in the sense of the playing card to Acehnese, Sinhala and Tamil dialects.^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 901–1000 – ''Hērro'' renders Latin ''dominus'' in the Wachtendonck Psalms.^(ONW)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * c. 1100 – An Egmond text uses it of the lord of a vineyard.^(ONW)

+ * c. 1200 – Middle Dutch ''hêre'' is recorded.^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|159)

+ * c. 1285 – The shortened spelling ''heer'' appears.^(De Vries & De Tollenaere 2004|159)

+ * 1687 – A text names Willem van Nassau ''Heer van Odijk''.^(WNT)

+ * 1717 – ''Heer'' is first recorded as the king in a pack of cards.^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|gentleman]]: a polite word for a man, also as a title before a name: ''Er staat een heer bij de balie.''^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A man of good manners and education.^(Van Dale 2014)

+ # A [[m|en|master]], one who rules over others: the head of a household, an employer.^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(dated)'' The [[m|en|king]] in a pack of cards.^(Van Dale 2014)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ # ''(history)'' The [[m|en|lord]] of a manor.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WNT)

+ # A sovereign, a ruler of a land.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WNT)

+ # ''(Christianity, usually capitalised)'' ''de Heer'': God, the Lord; also Christ.^(WikiWoordenboek)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A cleric, especially a Catholic priest.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[mijnheer]]

+ * [[meneer]]

+ * [[jonkheer]]

+ * [[geneesheer]]

+ * [[beschermheer]]

+ * [[bouwheer]]

+ * [[domheer]]

+ * [[kamerheer]]

+ * [[kruisheer]]

+ * [[beheren]]

+ * [[heerschap]]

+ * [[herenhuis]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|army}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=850, Old Dutch (in the place name Heriuuinna)|origins=ine-pro *kóryos}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɦeːr/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''heer''' ''n'' (plural heren, diminutive heertje n)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The army is [[inh|dum|here]], [[inh|odt|*heri]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*hari]], [[inh|gem-pro|*harjaz|alt=*harja-|t=army]].^(EWN)^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler ANFRK) The same word is [[osx|heri]], [[goh|heri]] (modern [[de|Heer]]), [[ofs|here]], [[ang|here]], [[non|herr]] and [[got|𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌹𐍃|tr=harjis]], all “army”.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971) It also appears in Germanic names in Latin texts, such as ⟨Chariovalda⟩ around AD 100, and it was borrowed before the Germanic sound shift into [[fi|karja|t=herd]].^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)

+

+ Outside Germanic it is related to [[grc|κοίρανος|tr=koíranos|t=commander]], [[lt|kãrias|t=army]], [[prg|kargis|t=army, war]], [[mga|cuire|t=troop, host]] and the Gaulish element ⟨corio-⟩ of tribal names such as ⟨Tricorii⟩ “with three hosts”.^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(Wiktionary) The EWN takes it as a formation with a suffix of belonging, [[ine-pro|*kóryos]], from a word for war seen in [[m|lt|kãras|t=war]] and [[peo|kāra-|t=army, people]].^(EWN)^(Wiktionary) De Vries notes that any further connection of the root is uncertain.^(De Vries 1971)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The word is first found in the place name ''Heriuuinna'', Herwijnen in Gelderland, literally “army meadow”, in a record of 850 copied in the late 11th century.^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001) Middle Dutch ''here'' “army” appears in the Bernardus glossary of 1240, and Aiol (1220–1240) has ''dar út int her dar is míjn uader'' “out there in the army is my father”.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old compounds with the word are [[herberg]] and [[hertog]], already Old Dutch, and it is in Germanic names such as Herbert, Herman and Harald.^(EWN) In Dutch the word itself fell out of use when [[leger]] came up in the 16th century.^(EWN) It survived in biblical and elevated language, for an army, a troop or a crowd, the host of angels and ''het heir des hemels'', the sun, moon and stars.^(WNT)^(Van Dale 2014)

+

+ For centuries it was usually spelled ''heir''; the spelling became general after the States Bible of 1637 used ''heyr'' to keep it apart from ''Heer'' “God”.^(EWN)^(WNT) Its compounds survive mainly in historical or religious use (''heerscharen'') and in place names such as ''heerbaan'' and ''heerweg''.^(EWN) In Belgium ''heirkracht'', recorded from 1836–1838, still means “overwhelming force”.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 850 – The place name ''Heriuuinna'' “army meadow” (Herwijnen) contains the word.^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * 1220–1240 – Middle Dutch ''her'' “army” appears in Aiol.^(EWN)

+ * 1240 – The Bernardus glossary has ''here'' “army”.^(EWN)

+ * 16th century – [[leger]] comes up and gradually replaces the word.^(EWN)

+ * 1637 – The States Bible spells it ''heyr'', apart from ''Heer'' “God”.^(EWN)^(WNT)

+ * 1836–1838 – ''Heerkracht'' “overwhelming force” is first recorded.^(EWN)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(archaic)'' An [[m|en|army]], a host of soldiers; now usually spelled ''heir''.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WNT)

+ # ''(formal)'' A [[m|en|multitude]], a great crowd of people or things.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WNT)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[heerschaar]]

+ * [[heerbaan]]

+ * [[heerweg]]

+ * [[heerkracht]]

+ * [[verheren]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[heerlijk]]

+ * [[herberg]]

+ * [[hertog]]

+ * [[heraut]]

+ * [[de|Herr]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Zo heer, zo knecht'' “like master, like man” has parallels in Latin, French, German and English.^(Stoett 1923)^(Van Dale 2014) ''Nieuwe heren, nieuwe wetten'' says that a change of rulers brings new rules.^(Stoett 1923) ''Niemand kan twee heren dienen'' is the biblical “no one can serve two masters”.^(Van Dale 2014)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}