English Words of Dutch Origin

Aardvark: from aardvarken, "earth pig"

Ahoy: from hoi, "hello"

Booze: from Middle Dutch busen, "to drink in excess"

Brandy (wine) from brandewijn, "burnt wine"

Brawl: from brallen

Coleslaw: from koolsla, "cabbage salad"

Cookie: from koekje, or in informal Dutch koekie, “biscuit, cookie”

Frolic: from vrolijk, “cheerful”

Geek: from geck (gek,) "fool"

Golf: from kolf, "bat, club"

Grab: from grijpen, "to seize, to grasp, to snatch"

Hooky: from hoekje, corner, in the sense of "to go around the corner"

Kill (body of water): from kil from kille, "riverbed"

Knapsack: from knapzak, "bag of snacks"

Knickerbocker: The pen-name was borrowed from Washington Irving's friend Herman Knickerbocker, and means "toy marble-baker." Descendants of Dutch settler of New York are referred to as Knickerbockers and later became used in reference to a style of pants; also a New York basketball team

Landscape: from landschap

Mannequin: via French, from Dutch manneken "little man"

Mart: from marct, "market"

Measles; from masel, "blemish"

Pickle: c.1440, from pekel

Santa Claus: from Sinterklaas "Saint Nicholas", bishop of Asia Minor who became a patron saint for children. Dutch and Flemish feast celebrated on the 5th and 6th of December respectively.

Slim: "thin, slight, slender," from Dutch slim "bad, sly, clever, crooked,"

Snack: from snakken "to long", snakken naar lucht, "to gasp for air" originally "to eat"/"chatter"

Snoop: from snoepen, to eat (possibly in secret) something sweet

Stoop (steps): from stoep, "pavement/sidewalk"

Stove: from stove, "heated room". The Dutch word stoof, pronounced similarly, is a small (often wooden) box with holes in it. One would place glowing coals inside so it would emanate heat, and then put one's feet on top of it while sitting (in a chair) to keep one's feet warm.

Tattoo (military term): from tiptoe, "close the tap"). So called because police used to visit taverns in the evening to shut off the taps of casks.

Trek: from trekken, literally "to march" or "to travel"

Tulip: from tulp

Waffle: from wafel

Wagon: from Middle Dutch wagen, waghen "cart, carriage, wagon"

Wiggle: from wiggelen, to wobble, to wiggle" or wiegen, “to rock"

Place names: Lots of place names that begin with Van are of Dutch origin.

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