sprookje

Dutch

Etymology

From sproke (obsolete variant of spreuk) +‎ -je (“diminutive suffix”). Note that the word only occurs in this diminutive form; the word "sprook" does not exist (except as a rare back-formation for comedic effect).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsproːk.jə/

• audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: sprook‧je
• Rhymes: -oːkjə

Noun

sprookje n (plural sprookjes)

1. fairy tale
   1. a usually old, allegorical short story
   2. story presented as true that is not believable
2. dream come true (very desirable life)

   Sinds mijn huwelijk is mijn leven een sprookje

   Since my marriage my life has been a dream come true.

Derived terms

• sprookjesachtig
• sprookjesboek
• sprookjesprins