Where does “vaagtaal” come from?
vaagtaal (Dutch) comes from Dutch vaag, from French vague, from Middle French vague, from Old French vague, from Old Norse vágr, from Proto-Germanic wēgaz, from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- — to bring; to transport.
vaagtaal (Dutch): a speech or writing abundant with weasel words
Definitions
- a speech or writing abundant with weasel words
Ancestry of “vaagtaal”, step by step
vaagtaal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch vaag
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | vaag | vague, hazy; odd, weird |
| 2 | French | vague | wave; vague; vagueness |
| 3 | Middle French | vague | — |
| 4 | Old French | vague | movement on the surface of a liquid, ripple |
| 5 | Old Norse | vágr | ocean, sea; inlet, bay |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wēgaz | wave; sea |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵʰ- | to bring; to transport |
via Dutch taal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | taal | language |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | tāle | spoken or written words, that which someone says |
| 3 | Old Dutch | tala | number }} |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *talu | narration, report |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | talō | narration, report; assessment, judgment;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | del- | to aim, calculate, adjust, count; to reckon,... |