bederven

From Middle Dutch bederven; see there for further etymology. Unrelated to derven, but related to verderven.

• IPA^(key): /bəˈdɛrvə(n)/

• Audio:

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• Hyphenation: be‧der‧ven
• Rhymes: -ɛrvən

bederven

1. (ergative) to spoil, to go off, to go bad
2. (transitive) to make worse
3. (transitive) to indulge, spoil

• bederf
• bederving

• Afrikaans: bederf, bederwe
• Negerhollands: bederf, bederv

• bedreven

The prefix is be- and the second element is from Proto-West Germanic *derban.

However, whether the word was formed in Old or Middle Dutch or was inherited from Proto-Germanic is unclear: while on the one hand, there are no affixless reflexes of *derbaną attested in Old or Middle Dutch, there are also no cognates of this specific prefixed formation in other Germanic languages. Perhaps an Early Medieval or Late Antique formation, from when a hypothetical Frankish or early Old Dutch reflex of *derbaną had not yet become obsolete.

Initially this verb was strong; the meaning was 'to collapse, to destroy'. The causative, intransitive verb derived from *-darbjan- was weak and had the meaning 'to perish, to die'. The combination of meaning 'to work' and 'to perish' as in Old English deorfan is remarkable.^[1]

bederven

1. to ruin, to kill
2. to damage, to destroy
3. to perish
4. to die

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

• Dutch: bederven
• Limburgish: bedèrve

• “bederven (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “bederven (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I