mooi

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch mooi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmoːi̯ ~ muə̯j/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

mooi (attributive mooi, comparative mooier, superlative mooiste)

1. beautiful, pretty

Inflection

Inflection of mooi

	predicative	attributive	independent		partitive
			singular	plural
positive	mooi		mooie	mooies	moois
comparative	mooier		mooiere	mooieres	mooiers
superlative	mooiste			mooistes	—

Derived terms

• mooiheid
• vermooi

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch mooy, moy, from Old Dutch mōi (“beautiful, trim, neat”, attested in nicknames), further origin uncertain; possibly from Proto-West Germanic *mauwī (“clean, washed”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *mawjaz, *maujaz, from Proto-Indo-European *mewH- (“to wet, wash”). Further etymology unknown. Cognate with Middle Low German môi, môie (whence German Low German mooi (“beautiful”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /moːi̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mooi
• Rhymes: -oːi̯

Adjective

mooi (comparative mooier, superlative mooist)

1. beautiful, pretty, handsome

   Synonyms: aantrekkelijk, fraai, knap, schoon

   Wat een mooi meisje. ― What a beautiful girl.

   Ik ben te mooi om te werken. ― I'm too beautiful to work.

2. nice, good

   Mooi werk! ― Nice work!

Declension

Declension of mooi
uninflected	mooi
inflected	mooie
comparative	mooier
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		mooi	mooier	het mooist het mooiste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	mooie	mooiere	mooiste
	n. sing.	mooi	mooier	mooiste
	plural	mooie	mooiere	mooiste
definite		mooie	mooiere	mooiste
partitive		moois	mooiers	—

Descendants

• Afrikaans: mooi
• Berbice Creole Dutch: moi
• Jersey Dutch: mûi
• Negerhollands: mooi, mooj, mui
• Skepi Creole Dutch: moi, moye
• → Aukan: moi
• → Caribbean Hindustani: moi
• → Kwinti: moi
• → North Frisian: mooi
• → Saterland Frisian: mooi
• → Scots: moy
• → Saramaccan: moi
• → Sranan Tongo: moi
  • → Ndyuka-Trio Pidgin: moime
• → West Frisian: moai

References

• van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “mooi”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute