4 ms·
It might be worth to point out that "doolhof" is literally the Dutch word for maze. According to etymologiebank.nl it originated in the 16th century, as a compo
by OrderlyTiamat 4y ago
It might be worth to point out that "doolhof" is literally the Dutch word for maze. According to etymologiebank.nl it originated in the 16th century, as a composition of "dolen" (wandering, having lost the way) with "hof".
- joostdevries 4y agoFor those who speak Dutch: here's a higher, more readable, resolution at the Rijksmuseum. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/RP-P-OB-76.978 https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/RP-P-OB-76.978
- johnyzee 4y ago> ... with "hof" Which means (court)yard. In some languages, it exclusively means the royal court. Its origin is apparently obscure, but I am guessing it derives from the Nordic word for 'head' ('huvd' in Swedish), which is also the base for the nordic word for ruler ('hovding' in Swedish).
- Insanity 4y agoHof is still used as yard in "Belgian Dutch" (Flemish). At least in some dialects such as my grandparents'
- oplaadpunt 4y agoTo add to this, it can still have a similar meaning in regular Dutch. I would usually associate the yard-like meaning with the diminutive form 'hofje', and the the (royal) court meaning with an included article: 'het hof' (_the_ court).