Betuwe

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch *Betuwe, from Old Dutch *Batouwa, *Betuwa, from Proto-West Germanic *Batauwju, from Proto-Germanic *Batawjō. Doublet of Batavia.

Both elements underlying this compound are obsolete in their basic forms, but survive otherwise:

  • The element bet- (from Proto-Germanic *bataz (“good”)) represents the positive adjective underlying the comparative beter (“better”);
  • The element -uwe (from *awjō (“island, floodplain, meadow”)) survives in the common toponym Ooij and in landouw.

Tacitus mentioned an insula Batavorum (“island of the Batavi”), a Germanic tribe known to have lived in the area and whose name is likely related.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbeːtyu̯ə/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: Be‧tu‧we

Proper noun

Betuwe f

  1. an area of Gelderland, the Netherlands

Derived terms

Further reading

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