spijtoptant

Dutch

Etymology

From spijt (“regret”) +‎ optant (“optant”). First attested in the 1950s.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɛi̯t.ɔpˌtɑnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: spijt‧op‧tant

Noun

spijtoptant m (plural spijtoptanten, diminutive spijtoptantje n)

1. someone who, after Indonesia's declaration of independence, gained Indonesian citizenship, but had rather retained Dutch citizenship
2. pentito, informant (criminal who cooperates with the police)
3. (by extension) someone who regrets a choice

Further reading

• spijtoptant on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^nl