Neuter
sprookje
- (neuter) fairy tale
- (neuter) fairy tale
- (figuratively, neuter) dream come true (very desirable life)
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈsproːk.jə/
Etymology
Can be regarded as the diminutive of sproke, a learned borrowing from the Middle Dutch word that also yielded the inherited form spreuk. This diminutive has, however, taken on a life of its own with the current meaning of "fairy tale". Sprookje is attested since the seventeenth century, however, whereas sproke as a learned borrowing likely postdates that, so the exact chronology is muddled. Compare German Low German Spröökje.
Related words
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