Where does “moetje” come from?
moetje (Dutch) comes from Dutch moeten, from Middle Dutch moeten, from Old Dutch muotan, from West Germanic *mōtan, from Proto-Germanic mōtaną, from Proto-Indo-European mōd-, from Proto-Indo-European med- — to measure; to give advice; healing.
moetje (Dutch): a shotgun wedding marriage contracted to legitimise a premarital pregnancy
Definitions
- a shotgun wedding marriage contracted to legitimise a premarital pregnancy
Ancestry of “moetje”, step by step
moetje traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch moeten
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | moeten | to be necessary, to be required; to have to,... |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | moeten | to have to, must, to be obliged to; to be allowed... |
| 3 | Old Dutch | muotan | can, to be able to; must, to have to |
| 4 | West Germanic | *mōtan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mōtaną | to be allowed, to be permitted to, may |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mōd- | to permit, make able |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | med- | to measure; to give advice; healing |
via Dutch je
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | je | subjective unstressed form of jij; objective... |