elf

nl-noun

elf m (plural elfen or elven, diminutive elfje n, feminine elve or elfin)

elfen (plural)
elven (plural)
elfje (diminutive neuter)
elve (feminine)
elfin (feminine)

→ Papiamentu: èlfye (from the diminutive)

Borrowed from German Elf, itself borrowed from English elf, from Old English ælf, from Proto-West Germanic *albi, from Proto-Germanic *albiz. Displaced native alf, from the same Germanic source.

(fantasy) elf (humanoid pointy-eared creature in fantasy)


er was eens

(used at the beginnings of fairytales) once upon a time there was


golem

golem m (plural golems, diminutive golempje n)

golems (plural)
golempje (diminutive neuter)

Ultimately from Hebrew גולם \ גֹּלֶם (gólem).

der

גולם \ גֹּלֶם

(folklore, fiction) a golem, a clay automaton


spook

nl-noun

spook n (plural spoken, diminutive spookje n)

desctree

Afrikaans: spook
→ Northern Ndebele: isipoko
→ Xhosa: isiporho
→ Zulu: isipoki

Negerhollands: spook

→ English: spook

→ Papiamentu: spoki, spooki

From Middle Dutch spoke, spooc, from spoke, spoocke, spoicke (“wizardry, witchcraft”), from Proto-Germanic *spōk. Further etymology unclear. Cognate with Middle Low German spôk, Low German spôk, Middle High German Spuch, and German Spuk.

het spook van de oorlog

an imaginary horror, conceptual nightmare


spook

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

nonlemma

first-person singular present indicative

(in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative


smurf

nl-noun

smurf m (plural smurfen, diminutive smurfje n)

smurfen (plural)
smurfje (diminutive neuter)

Changed from the original French schtroumpf as described above.


persoon

persoon m or f (plural personen, diminutive persoontje n)

personen (plural)
persoontje (diminutive neuter)

Afrikaans: persoon

→ Indonesian: person

From Middle Dutch persone, ultimately from Latin persōna. Doublet with persona.

(fiction) person, character, personality


dwerg

dwerg m (plural dwergen, diminutive dwergje n, feminine dwergin)

dwergen (plural)
dwergje (diminutive neuter)
dwergin (feminine)

Afrikaans: dwerg

From Middle Dutch dwerch, from Old Dutch *dwerg, from Proto-West Germanic *dwerg, from Proto-Germanic *dwergaz.
Compare West Frisian dwerch, German Zwerg, English dwarf, Danish dværg.

(fiction, folklore, fantasy, mythology) dwarf (small folkloristic humanoid)


hocus pocus

Hocus pocus pilatus pas, ik wou dat het eindelijk weer zomer was.

Hocus-pocus, I wish it was finally summer again.


feniks

feniks m (plural feniksen, diminutive feniksje n)

feniksen (plural)
feniksje (diminutive neuter)


goede

Substantivization of the adjective goed.


draak

draak m (plural draken, diminutive draakje n)

draken (plural)
draakje (diminutive neuter)

From Middle Dutch andrake, from Old Dutch *anadrako, from Proto-West Germanic *anadrekō (“duck leader”).


kabouter

nl-noun

kabouter m (plural kabouters, diminutive kaboutertje n)

kabouters (plural)
kaboutertje (diminutive neuter)

→ Papiamentu: kabouter

Possibly already from Middle Dutch. Equivalent to a compound of koof (from Middle Dutch kove, from Old Dutch *kovo, from Proto-Germanic *kubô (“hut, shed”)) and a less certain second element that might be hou (“friendly, favorable disposition”). Related to German Kobold.

(fiction, folklore) a (now usually benevolent) tiny folkloric bearded man who traditionally wears a pointy red hat, lives in harmony with nature and resides in mushrooms or trees, similar to a gnome, leprechaun or brownie


dimensie

dimensie f (plural dimensies, diminutive dimensietje n)

dimensies (plural)
dimensietje (diminutive neuter)

Afrikaans: dimensie

→ Indonesian: dimensi

Borrowed from French dimension, from Middle French [Term?], from Latin dīmēnsiō.

(fiction) dimension (plane of existence)


kraak

kraak m (plural kraken, diminutive kraakje n)

kraken (plural)
kraakje (diminutive neuter)

From kraken (“to crack; to squat; to break and enter”). Cognate with English crack.

breaking and entering
breaking and entering


trol

trol m (plural trollen, diminutive trolletje n)

trollen (plural)
trolletje (diminutive neuter)

Borrowed from Norwegian troll or Swedish troll. Doublet of drol (“mythological giant”) and etymology 2.

(folklore) troll (mythological creature)


eenhoorn

eenhoorn m (plural eenhoorns, diminutive eenhoorntje n)

eenhoorns (plural)
eenhoorntje (diminutive neuter)

From Middle Dutch eenhoorn, a calque of Latin ūnicornis. Equivalent to een (“one”) + hoorn (“horn”).


ork

ork m (plural orks, diminutive orkje n, feminine orkin)

orks (plural)
orkje (diminutive neuter)
orkin (feminine)


paashaas

paashaas m (plural paashazen, diminutive paashaasje n)

paashazen (plural)
paashaasje (diminutive neuter)

From Pasen + haas, calque of German Osterhase.


paardmens

paardmens m (plural paardmensen, diminutive paardmensje n)

paardmensen (plural)
paardmensje (diminutive neuter)

(Greek mythology, fantasy) centaur or (less commonly) another fictional human-horse hybrid


tijdmachine

Compound of tijd + machine. In the sense “time machine” probably derived from English time machine.


slechte

Substantivization of the adjective slecht.


vissenrijk

vissenrijk n (plural vissenrijken, diminutive vissenrijkje n)

vissenrijken (plural)
vissenrijkje (diminutive neuter)

(countable, figurative or fiction) a fish kingdom or empire


Piet Snot

17th century. Originated as a form of Pier Snot in comedies and farces.

1691, Molliere (i.e. Molière, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin), School voor de jaloerschen. Blyspel, tr. from French, heirs of J. Lescailje (publ.), 32.
Nu ſta ik hier te kyken, als een uil in doods nood, of als den eerzamen diſcreten ſinjeur Piet Snot.

(please add an English translation of this quotation)

(fiction, personification) irrelevant person, a nobody


Dagobert Duck

From Dagobert (a male given name) + English duck.

Scrooge McDuck, Uncle Scrooge (Disney character)


heelmeester

heelmeester m (plural heelmeesters, diminutive heelmeestertje n)

heelmeesters (plural)
heelmeestertje (diminutive neuter)

Compound of helen (“to heal”) + meester (“master”).

(now chiefly in fantasy or historical, otherwise archaic) healer, doctor

zachte heelmeesters maken stinkende wonden


geldezel

geldezel m (plural geldezels, diminutive geldezeltje n)

geldezels (plural)
geldezeltje (diminutive neuter)

Het ezelken begon te schudden, te schudden, en daar viel, blinkend en klinkend, een heele hoop voskens neer! « Zie, dat ezelken moest ik hebben; dat beestje zou mij rijk schudden! Maar kom; ik heb het al beet! Het middel is gevonden! » En de bazin nam haar eigen ezelken, dat goed op 't andere geleek, en bond het in de plaats van het geldezelken aan de krebbe.

1896, Alfons de Cock, Pol de Mont, Dit zijn Vlaamsche wondersprookjes. Het volk naverteld, page 191:

(rare, fiction) a donkey that magically generates money


slaapzand

(fiction) the sleepy sand thrown in people's eyes by the Sandman


onzichtbaarheid

onzichtbaarheid f (plural onzichtbaarheden)

Afrikaans: onsigbaarheid

(uncountable) invisibility, state of not being visible

(uncommon, countable) something that is invisible


menspaard

From mens (“human, person”) + paard (“horse”).


Vliegende Hollander

(fiction) Flying Dutchman (ghost ship; sometimes the clipper's captain)


Zevenslaper

Univerbation of zeven slapers (“seven sleepers”).

(Christianity, fiction, chiefly in the plural) one of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus


zevenmijlslaars

nl-noun

zevenmijlslaars f (plural zevenmijlslaarzen)

Compound of zeven (“seven”) + mijl (“Dutch mile, league (5 to 6 km)”) + -s- + laars (“boot”).

compound

seven-league boot
seven-league boot#English

(fiction, folklore) a seven-league boot (boot in fairy tales allowing the wearer to quickly walk large distances)


pijpkruid

From pijp + kruid, modeled on the English pipeweed.

(fantasy) pipeweed: a herb smoked in pipes like tobacco


postapocalyptisch

Borrowed from English postapocalyptic. Equivalent to post- + apocalyptisch.

De film gaat over huidkanker bij zombies in een postapocalyptische Costa del Sol.

The film is about skin cancer among zombies in a postapocalyptic Costa del Sol.

(fiction) postapocalyptic (after a future cataclysm)


Zweinstein

Hogwarts, the fictional school of magic in the Harry Potter series


dodenbezwering

nl-noun

dodenbezwering f (plural dodenbezweringen)

(uncountable, now chiefly fiction, fantasy) necromancy (divination involving the dead; conjuration of the dead)

(countable, rare, now chiefly fiction, fantasy) act of necromancy, spell regarding the dead


dodenbezweerder

dodenbezweerder m (plural dodenbezweerders, feminine dodenbezweerster)

dodenbezweerders (plural)
dodenbezweerster (feminine)

(countable, now chiefly fiction, fantasy) a necromancer


katmens

Compound of kat (“cat, feline”) + mens (“human, person”).

compound

(rare, fiction) a catperson, fictitious creature combining human and feline properties


zeedraak

nl-noun

zeedraak m (plural zeedraken, diminutive zeedraakje n)

zeedraken (plural)
zeedraakje (diminutive neuter)

(mythology, fantasy) a sea dragon, a marine dragon


tentakelmonster

tentakelmonster n (plural tentakelmonsters, diminutive tentakelmonstertje n)

tentakelmonsters (plural)
tentakelmonstertje (diminutive neuter)

From tentakel (“tentacle”) + monster (“monster”).