Dutch origins in English

There are a lot of English words that come from Dutch, thanks to historical trade, exploration, and cultural exchange between the Netherlands and England. Here’s a complete and detailed list of commonly known English words of Dutch origin, categorized by theme:

Maritime & Trade Terms

• Ahoy – from Dutch hoi, a call for attention.
• Buoy – from boei, meaning a floating marker.
• Freight – from vracht, meaning cargo.
• Keel – from kiel, the structural base of a ship.
• Skipper – from schipper, meaning ship captain.
• Yacht – from jacht, meaning a fast sailing vessel.
• Smuggle – from smokkelen, meaning to secretly transport goods.
• Dock – from dok, meaning a place for ships.

Art & Culture

• Landscape – from landschap, meaning scenery.
• Sketch – from schets, a rough drawing.
• Etch – from etsen, meaning to carve with acid.
• Easel – from ezel, meaning donkey, since wooden easels resemble a donkey carrying a load.

Food & Drink

• Cookie – from koekje, meaning small cake.
• Coleslaw – from koolsla, meaning cabbage salad.
• Waffle – from wafel, meaning a type of batter cake.
• Pickle – from pekel, meaning brine or salty liquid.
• Tea – from thee
• Coffee – from koffie

Animals & Nature

• Beaver – from bever, referring to the animal.
• Fur – from vacht (possibly influenced through trade).
• Wolverine – from wolven, meaning wolves.

Everyday Words

• Boss – from baas, meaning master or leader.
• Dollar – from daalder, originally a silver coin.
• Santa Claus – from Sinterklaas, the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas.
• Yankee – possibly from Jan Kees, a Dutch name used for settlers.

Military & Weapons

• Cruiser – from kruiser, meaning a warship.
• Camouflage – possibly from kamouflage, influenced by Dutch-French military terms.

Sports & Games

• Golf – from kolf, meaning club.
• Bowling – from kegelspel, a Dutch game similar to modern bowling.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it covers many well-known words.

About the author: Dutch

Thirteen years. That’s how long I’ve been in the United States, trying (and often failing) to fully embrace the American way of life.