landleeuw

Dutch

Etymology

Coined by Joost van den Vondel in Aen den Leeuw van Hollant (1641), a work of propaganda for draining the Haarlemmermeer. Compound of land (“land”) +‎ leeuw (“lion”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɑnt.leːu̯/
• Hyphenation: land‧leeuw

Noun

landleeuw m (plural landleeuwen, diminutive landleeuwje n)

1. (literary, Netherlands) land area of the Netherlands (personification of the Dutch land mass as in a perpetual battle against water)
2. (literal) terrestrial lion

Antonyms

• (personification): waterwolf