Dutch speakers, please...

[Dayvo]

I've been curious for years to discover why bicycles are called 'fiets' in Dutch.

In most other (European) languages, at least, they are all closely related. Buts fiets doesn't make sense.

Any ideas?

This mentions it, but is still quite vague.

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiets

 

[ColinJ]

I will ask my stepdaughter - she studied German and Dutch at university.

 

[HLaB]

Fiets are cars in Italy or is that Double Dutch!

 

[Moon bunny]

http://www.standaard.be/cnt/br3mgi48

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I'm by no means a Flemish speaker but the 2nd explanation here (http://www.etymologiebank.nl/trefwoord/fiets1) seems to suggest that it's from the Indonesian pits. I'll see whether I can find an English version.

 

[HarryTheDog]

I found this,http://www.24oranges.nl/2012/02/23/etymology-of-dutch-word-for-bicycle-cracked-after-140-years/ vice ( false ) horse . I can ask a Dutchman or 2 on Monday when back at work.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I found this,http://www.24oranges.nl/2012/02/23/etymology-of-dutch-word-for-bicycle-cracked-after-140-years/ vice ( false ) horse . I can ask a Dutchman or 2 on Monday when back at work.

And I found a rebuttal based on the fact that nobody has ever produced an early version of Vize-pferd. http://fasos-research.nl/cycling-hi...origins-for-the-dutch-word-for-bicycle-fiets/

 

[NorthernDave]

I thought this was going to be a thread about Philips audio equipment....

 

[Specialeyes]

I thought I'd stumbled upon an internet meme, as only 30 seconds ago, my wife asked me to translate something she'd just read on another site: Mijn luchtkussenboot zit vol paling

*My hovercraft is full of eels

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I have just realise that when I was in Belgium earlier this year I was asking for a bike rather than chips; fiets/frites, easy mistake to make. It must have sounded strange - "donner kebab and a bike please"

 

[BrynCP]

"donner kebab and a bike please"

A solution to obesity?

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

A solution to obesity?

It probably accounts for why I ended up walking home without any chips, so possibly...

 

[ColinJ]

I will ask my stepdaughter - she studied German and Dutch at university.

She laughed and said that she has no idea, but she would love to know the answer if anybody can discover it!

 

[Racing roadkill]

The only Dutch I learned, was from grainy videos, and a proper mucky Dutch 'conquest' at Uni, back in the day, probably not much use.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I've been curious for years to discover why bicycles are called 'fiets' in Dutch.

In most other (European) languages, at least, they are all closely related. Buts fiets doesn't make sense.

Any ideas?

This mentions it, but is still quite vague.

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiets

This article basically says that the etymology of the word is unknown and it gives and argues against, four or five origins. Fiets s used in Dutch, Flemish, Afrikaans and in one of the German dialects.

I don't like the theory that it is borrowed from Indonesian. Although the Dutch were involved in the East Indies in the seventeenth century and colonized Java (Indonesia), the bicycle is younger than that era and I cannot see a younger word being brought back from a former colony and finding preference over local words. But me not liking the theory and its possibility could be miles apart.

I grew up using Fiets but never gave it any thought either other than recognizing it when mentioned in the other languages also using it. Now I'm also curious.