Den Haag

From Middle Dutch Die Hāge (“the enclosure”), from hāge (m, later also f, “enclosure, hedge”), from Proto-Germanic *hagô. First attested in 1242 as die haga. The article form den is dative/accusative, generalized in the modern name because of its use after prepositions, e.g. in den Haghe (“in The Hague”). Compare Den Bosch, Den Hoorn etc.

• IPA^(key): /dɛn ˈɦaːx/

• Audio (Netherlands):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Den Haag
• Rhymes: -aːx

Den Haag n

1. The Hague (a city and municipality, the capital of South Holland, Netherlands; the administrative capital of the Netherlands)

   Synonyms: (officialese) 's-Gravenhage, (nicknames) Agga, Hofstad, stad achter de duinen

   Meronym: Haagoord

2. (figuratively, metonymic) the national government or administrative authority of the Netherlands

• While den is etymologically a masculine article, the city name is neuter insofar as one says e.g. het mooie Den Haag (“beautiful The Hague”).

• → German: Den Haag
• → Sranan Tongo: Aga
  • → Dutch: Agga
• → West Frisian: De Haach

• van Berkel, Gerard, Samplonius, Kees (2018) “den haag”, in Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard‎^[1] (in Dutch), Mijnbestseller.nl, →ISBN

From Middle Dutch die haghe (“the enclosure”).

• IPA^(key): /dɛnˈhaːx/, /dɛnˈhaːk/

• Audio:

  (file)

Den Haag n (proper noun, genitive Den Haags or (optionally with an article) Den Haag)

1. The Hague (a city, the capital of South Holland, Netherlands; the administrative capital of the Netherlands)