List of English words of Dutch origin

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This is a list of words of Dutch language origin. However, note that this list does also include some words of which the etymology is uncertain, and that some may have been derived from Middle Low German equivalents instead or as well. Some of these words, such as cookie and boss and aardvark, are without a doubt of Dutch origin. But, many of these words are similar not because they are Dutch loan words, but because English, like Dutch, is a Germanic language. Some of these words lack a counterpart in modern Dutch, having been lost since the time it was borrowed.

  • literally: the literal meaning of the Dutch word (the actual meaning is similar to the English one)
  • originally: the word originally had the meaning specified, but is in Dutch also used with the same meaning as in English


A

Aardvark
from aardvarken (via Afrikaans) (=literally "earth pig") [1]
Ahoy
from hoi (="hello")
Apartheid
from apartheid (via Afrikaans) (="separateness") (meaning: racial segregation) [2]
Avast
from houvast (="holdfast, support") [3]

B

Bantam
from Bantam, Java [4]
Beaker
from beker [5] (="mug, cup")
Beleaguer
from belegeren (="besiege, attack with an army") [6]
Blare, to blare
possibly from slang term blèren [7] (="to scream, to shout, to cry loudly")
to bluff
from bluffen (="to bluff") [8]
Boom
from boom (="tree"); cognate to English "beam", German "baum"[9]
Boomslang
via Afrikaans from boomslang (="tree snake")
Booze
from Middle Dutch busen (="to drink in excess"). [10] According to JW de Vries busen is equivalent to buizen. [1]
Boss
from baas [11]
Bow
front of a ship from boeg [12]
Brandy (wine)
from brandewijn (literally "burnt wine") [13]
Brawl
from brallen [14]
Brooklyn
called after the town of Breukelen near Utrecht [15]
Bulwark
from bolwerk [16]
Bundle
from bundel [17]
Bumpkin
from bommekijn (="little barrel") [18]
Buoy
from boei (="shackle" or "buoy") [19]

C

Caboose
from kambuis or kombuis (="ship's kitchen", "galley") [20]
Clove (disambiguation)
from kloof [1] (="steep valley", "gorge")
Cockatoo
from kaketoe [21]
Coleslaw
from koolsla (literally "cabbage salad") [22]
Cookie
from koekje, or in informal Dutch koekie [23] (="biscuit", "cookie")
Coney Island
from Conyne Eylandt (literally "Rabbits' Island")
Crimp
from krimpen (= "to shrink") [1]
Cruise
from (door)kruisen (="to cross") [24]
Cruller
from Dutch krullen "to curl" [25]

D

Dam
from Middle Dutch dam (compare Amsterdam or Rotterdam) [26]
Dapper
from dapper (="brave") [27]
Deck
from dek (originally "covering") [28]
Decoy
from de kooi (="the cage") [29]
Delftware
porcelaine from the city Delft [30]
Dike
from dijk (="embankment") [31]
Dock (maritime)
possibly from Middle Dutch dok [32]
Dope
old meaning: sauce, now drugs, comes from the Dutch verb (in)dopen (usually ="to baptize", but here ="to dip in") [33]
Drill (verb)
from Middle Dutch dril, drille and in modern Dutch drillen [34]

E

Easel
from ezel (=originally "donkey") [35]
Etch
from ets or etsen [36]

F

Filibuster
from Spanish filibustero from French flibustier ultimately from Dutch vrijbuiter (="pirate" or "freebooter") [37]
Forlorn hope
from verloren hoop (literally "lost troop", figuratively "suicide squad") [38]
Freebooter
from vrijbuiter [39]
Freight
from vracht [40]
Frolic
from vrolijk (="cheerful") [41]
Furlough
from verlof (="permission (to leave)") [42]

G

Gas
from gas, a neologism from Jan Baptista van Helmont, derived from the Greek Chaos [43]
Geek
from geck (gek) (="fool") [44] [45]
Gin
from jenever [46]
Gnu
from gnoe (from Bushman !nu) [47]
Guilder
from gulden [48]
Golf
from kolf (="bat, club", but also a game played with these) [1]
Grab
from grijpen (="to seize, to grasp, to snatch") [49]

H

Hankering
from Middle Dutch hankeren or Dutch hunkeren [50]
Harlem
called after the city of Haarlem near Amsterdam
Hartebeest
from Afrikaans, from Du. hertebeest "antelope," from hert "deer" (cognate to "hart") + beest "beast" [51]
Hoboken
called after the Flemish town Hoboken near Antwerp.
Hoist
possibly from Middle Dutch hijsen [52]
Holster
from holster [53]
Hooky
from hoekje (=corner) in the sense of to go around the corner [54]
Hotchpot
from: hutspot

I

Iceberg
probably from Dutch ijsberg (literally ice mountain). [55]
Isinglass
probably from Dutch huizenblas (this is no current Dutch word) [56]

J

K

Keelhauling
from kielhalen (=literally "to haul keel")
Keeshond
prob. from special use of Kees (shortening of proper name Cornelius) + hond "dog" [57]
Ken
as used in Scotland, meaning 'to know', from kennen (=literally "to know")citation needed
Kill (body of water)
from kil from Middle Dutch kille (=literally "riverbed") [58]
Kink
from kink referring to a twist in a rope [59]
Knapsack
possibly from knapzak (=literally "bag of food") [60]
Knickerbocker
The pen-name was borrowed from Washington Irving's friend Herman Knickerbocker, and lit. means "toy marble-baker." also descendants of Dutch settler of New York are referred to as Knickerbockers and later became used in reference to a style of pants [61]

L

Landscape
from landschap [62]

Leak
possibly from Middle Dutch lekken (="to drip, to leak" ) [63]
Loafer
from loper (="walker") ([64]

M

Maelstrom
from maalstroom (=literally "grinding current" or "stirring current") (possibly Norse in origin) [65]
Manikin
from Flemish manneken (=literally "little man") [66]
Mannequin
via French from Dutch manneken (=literally "little man") [67]
Mart
from Middle Dutch marct (=literally "market") [68]
Measles
possibly from Middle Dutch masel "blemish" (modern Dutch: mazelen) [69]
Meerkat
from Dutch meerkat [70]
Morass
from moeras (="swamp") [71]

N

O

Offal
possibly from Middle Dutch afval (="leftovers, rubbish") [72]

P

Patroon
from patroon (="patron") [73]
Pickle
c.1440, probably from M.Du. pekel [74]
Pinkie
Pinkje/Pinkie [75]
Pit
the stone of a drupaceous fruit : from pit [76]
Plug
from plugge, originally a maritime term.[77]
Polder
from polder
Poppycock
from pappekak (=dialect for "soft dung") [78]
Pump
from pomp [79]

Q

Quack
shortened from quacksalver, from kwakzalver (= literally "someone who daubs ointments") [80]

R

Roster
from rooster (= "schedule, or grating/grill") [81]
Rover
from rover (= "robber") [82]

S

Santa Claus
from Middle Dutch Sinterklaas (="Saint Nicholas"), bishop of Asia Minor who became a patron saint for children. (Dutch and Flemish feast celebrated on the 5th and 6th of December respectively) (Origins of Santa Claus in US culture)[83]
Scone
from schoon (="clean") [84]
Scow
from schouw (a type of boat) [85]
Skate, to skate
from schaats. The noun was originally adopted as in Dutch, with 'skates' being the singular form of the noun; due to the similarity to regular English plurals this form was ultimately used as the plural while 'skate' was derived for use as singular." [86]
Sketch
from schets [87]
to Scour
from Middle Dutch scuren (now "schuren") [88]
Skipper
from Middle Dutch scipper (now schipper =literally "shipper") [89]
Sled, sleigh
from Middle Dutch slede, slee [90]
Slim
"thin, slight, slender," from Dutch slim "bad, sly, clever," from M.Du. slim "bad, crooked," [91]
Sloop
from sloep [92]
Slurp
from slurpen [93]
Smack (boat)
possibly from smak "sailboat", perhaps so-called from the sound made by its sails [94]
Smelt
from smelten (="to melt") [95]
Snack
perhaps from Middle Dutch snakken (="to long" (snakken naar lucht="to gasp for air") originally "to eat"/"chatter") [96]
Snoop
from snoepen (to eat (possibly in secret) something sweet) [97]
Snuff
from snuiftabak (=literally "sniff tobacco") [98]
Splinter
from splinter [99]
Split
from Middle Dutch splitten [100]
Spook
from spook (="ghost(ly image)") [101]
Stoker
from stoken (="stoke a fire") [102]
Stern
hind part of a ship related to Steven in Dutch and Stiarn in Frisian [103]
Still life
from Dutch stilleven [104]
Stoop (steps)
from stoep (="pavement/sidewalk") [105]
Stove
from Middle Dutch stove (="heated room"). The Dutch word stoof, pronounced similarly, is a small (often wooden) box with holes in it. One would place glowing coals inside so it would emanate heat, and then put one's feet on top of it while sitting (in a chair) to keep one's feet warm. [106]
Sutler
from zoetelaar (="one who sweetens", sweetener, old-fashioned for "camp cook") [107]

T

Tattoo (military term)
from taptoe (=literally "close the tap"). So called because police used to visit taverns in the evening to shut off the taps of casks. [108]
Tickle
from kietelen [109]
Trigger
from trekker (Trekken ="to pull") [110]
Tulip
from tulp [111]

U

V

Veldt
South African grassland, 1785, from Afrikaans, from older Du. veld (="field") [112]

W

Waffle
from wafel [113]
Walrus
from walrus [114]
Wagon
from Middle Dutch wagen, waghen (="cart, carriage, wagon") [115]
Whore
from huren (="to rent, to hire") citation needed
Wiggle
from wiggelen (="to wobble, to wiggle") or wiegen (="to rock") [116]
Wildebeest
from wildebeest (lit. wild beast, via Afrikaans) [117]
Witloof
from witloof (lit. wit "white" + loof "foliage") [118]

X

Y

Yacht
from jacht (=originally "hunt") [119]
Yankee
from Jan Kees, a personal name, originally used mockingly to describe pro-French revolutionary citizens, with allusion to the small keeshond dog, then for "colonials" in New Amsterdam (Note: this is not the only possible etymology for the word yankee. For one thing, the Oxford English Dictionary has quotes with the term from as early as 1765, quite some time before the French Revolution.) [120]

Z

References

  1. ^ a b c d Het verhaal van een taal, negen eeuwen nederlands, http://www.pbo.nl

See also

Look up Category:Dutch derivations in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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