himil

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *himil.

Noun

himil m

1. (singular only) heavens, sky (visible sky)
   • c. 1100 CE, Rhinelandic Rhyming Bible:

     Inthemo himilze stont thaz gestêine. beithe groz ande cleine. Minnere ande merre. also an themo himile that gestirne.

     On the ceiling stood the stones, both large and small, more and less, like the stars in the sky.

2. (religion) heaven (divine abode; type of afterlife)
   • c. 1100 CE, Leiden Willeram:

     Ther uerus pacificus, the ther mit sinemo dootha dissoluit inimicitias inter deum et hominem, her hauet uore gegarewet sinen holden eynan disk thar ze himole.

     The true peacemaker, who ended the hostilities between God and man, he has a prepared a table there in Heaven for his loved ones.

   • c. 1100 CE, Rhinelandic Rhyming Bible:

     Miletus, ein biscof uns saget uan sancta Marien, there maget That se uerscêithe in themo anderen jare that zo himile was geuaren unse herre And[e] bi monte oliueti blíue thar unse herr[e] zo themo himile stige

     Miletus, a bishop, told us about the Holy Mary, that she died in the year following [the year] that our Lord ascended Heaven and remained at the Mount of Olives, where our Lord ascended Heaven.

Declension

Declension of himil

	Singular	Plural
nominative	himil	himila, -as
accusative	himil	himila, -as
genitive	himiles, -is	himilo
dative	himile, -i	himilon

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: hēmel
  • Dutch: hemel
    • Afrikaans: hemel
  • Limburgish: hieëmel

Derived Terms

• himilinc (“ceiling”)
• himilisc (“heavenly, living in heaven”)
• himilrīki (“Kingdom of Heaven”)
• himilronna (“heavy rainfall”)
• himilti (“ceiling”)

Further reading

• “himil”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *himil.

Noun

himil m (plural himila)

1. heaven, sky, ceiling

Declension

Declension of himil (masculine a-stem)

case	singular	plural
nominative	himil	himila
accusative	himil	himila
genitive	himiles	himilo
dative	himile	himilum
instrumental	himilu	—

Derived terms

• himilzungal

Descendants

• Middle High German: himel
  • Swabian: Hemmel, Hemml, Himml
  • Bavarian: Himmi, Himml
    • Cimbrian: hümmel, hümbl
  • Central Franconian: Himmel, Hemmel
    • Hunsrik: Himmel
    • Luxembourgish: Himmel
    • Transylvanian Saxon: Hemmel
  • German: Himmel
  • Rhine Franconian: Himmel
    • Pennsylvania German: Himmel
  • Yiddish: הימל (himl)

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *himil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhimil/

Noun

himil m

1. heaven, sky

   is bocan skinan hedro fon himiles tunglun

   His beeches were shining serenely at the stars in the sky (Heliand, verse 600)

Declension

Declension of himil (masculine a-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	himil	himilos
accusative	himil	himilos
genitive	himiles	himilō
dative	himile	himilum
instrumental	—	—

Related terms

• himilrīki

Descendants

• Middle Low German: hemmel, hēmel
  • German Low German:

    Ostfriesisch (East Frisian Low Saxon): Hemel, Himmel

    Westphalian:

    Dortmundisch: Hiəmel

    Lippisch, Ravensbergisch, Westmünsterländisch: Hemmel

    Sauerländisch: Hiemel, Heämel (Wenden)

    Westmünsterländisch: Himmel

  • Plautdietsch: Himmel
  • → Norwegian: himmel
  • → Old Swedish: himil
    • Swedish: himmel
      • → Finnish: himmeli
  • → Old Danish: *himæl
    • Danish: himmel
  • → Gutnish: himmel