døbe

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse deypa (“to dip in water, baptize”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *daupijaną (“to dip”). Cognate with German taufen and Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐍀𐌾𐌰𐌽 (daupjan, “immerse, baptize”). The Christian meaning of the word may have spread from Gothic to the rest of the Germanic languages. The verb is likely originally a causative of Proto-Germanic *dūbaną (“to dive, sink”), with the younger variant *dupjaną extant in English dip and Danish dyppe (“to dip”) (a later borrowing from Low German düppen).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈd̥øːb̥ə]

Verb

døbe (imperative døb, infinitive at døbe, present tense døber, past tense døbte, perfect tense har døbt)

1. to baptize
2. to name

Conjugation

Conjugation of døbe

active passive present døber døbes past døbte døbtes infinitive døbe døbes imperative døb — participle present døbende past døbt (auxiliary verb have) gerund døben

References

• “døbe” in Den Danske Ordbog
• Guus Kroonen (2013) “daupjan-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 91