List of English words of Dutch origin
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This is a list of words of Dutch language origins can be found in the following English language cognates. However, note that this list does also include some words of which the etymology is uncertain, and that some may have been derived from Low Saxon equivalents instead or as well.
- 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
- aardvark
- from aardvarken
- ahoy
- from hoi (="hello")
- apartheid
- from apartheid (via Afrikaans)
- avast
- from houd vast (="hold fast")
- berm
- from berm
- to bluff
- from bluffen (="to brag")
- boom
- from boom (="tree")
- boss
- from baas
- brandy/ brandy wine
- from brandewijn (=literally "burn wine")
- bundle
- from bundel
- buoy
- from boei (="shackle" or "buoy")
- candy
- from kandij
- coleslaw
- from koolsla
- cookie
- from koekje, Hollandic koekie
- cruise
- from (door)kruisen (="to cross paths or to cross")
- dapper
- from dapper (brave)
- dollar
- from daalder
- deck
- from dek ="covering" (entered English as "the cover over a ship's hold")
- dyke
- from dijk
- (boat) dock
- possibly from Middle Dutch from dok
- drill
- from Middle Dutch dril, drille
- easel
- from ezel (=originally "donkey")
- etch
- from etsen
- filibuster
- from Spanish filibustero from French flibustier from Dutch vrijbuiter (="pirate")
- freebooter
- from vrijbuiter
- freight
- from Dutch vracht
- frolic
- from vrolijk (="cheerful, gay")
- furlough
- from verlof (="permission (to leave)")
- gas
- from gas, a neologism from Jan Baptista van Helmont, derived from the Greek Chaos
- gin
- from jenever
- grab
- from grijpen (="to seize, to grasp, to snatch")
- halibut
- from heilbot (=literally "holy flounder")
- haul
- possibly from halen
- hoist
- possibly from Middle Dutch hijsen
- holster
- from holster
- iceberg
- probably from ijsberg, from Danish isbjerg or Swedish isberg.
- isinglass
- probably from Dutch huizenblas
- keel (kind of boat)
- from kiel
- keelhaul
- from kielhalen (=literally "to haul keel")
- knapsack
- possibly from knapzak (=literally "bag of food")
- landscape
- from landschap
- leak
- possibly from Old Dutch lek
- maelstrom
- from maalstroom
- maid
- from meid (="girl")
- manikin
- from manneken (=literally "little man")
- mannequin
- from dutch manneken (=literally "little man")
- measles
- possibly from mazelen
- morass
- from moeras
- polder
- from polder
- pump
- from pomp
- quack
- shortened from quacksalver, from kwakzalver (= literally "someone who daubs ointments")
- roster
- from rooster (="schedule, or. grating")
- to rove
- from roven (="to rob")
- rucksack
- from rugzak (=literally "back-bag")
- Santa Claus
- from Sinterklaas (="Saint Nicholas")
- scow
- from schouw
- 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."
- sketch
- from schets
- skipper
- from schipper (=literally "shipper")
- snack
- from snakken (="to gasp", originally "to eat")
- sled, sleigh
- from Middle Dutch slede, slee
- sloop
- from sloep
- slurp
- from slurpen
- smack
- possibly from smak
- smelt
- from smelten (="to melt")
- smuggle
- from smokkelen
- tattoo (military term)
- from taptoe (=literally "close the tap")
- snuff
- from snuiftabak (=literally "sniff tobacco")
- splinter
- from splinter
- split
- from splijten
- spook
- from spook (="ghost(ly image)")
- stoke
- from stoken (="stoke a fire")
- stoop (steps)
- from stoep (="pavement/sidewalk")
- stove
- from stoof
- waffle
- from wafel
- wagon
- from wagen (="cart, carriage, wagon")
- yacht
- from jacht (=originally "hunt")
- 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.)
- zeekoe
- from zeekoe (=literally "sea cow"); note that "zeekoe" in Dutch refers to the manatee, not the hippopotamus, to which the English "zeekoe" refers)