Aanvankelijk
Example: Aanvankelijk leek de revolutie zinloos, maar veranderde alles.
Definition
"Aanvankelijk" is an adverb used to describe something that happens at the beginning or initially, often before any changes or developments occur. For example, in history, "aanvankelijk" refers to the early phase of an event before its full impact is realized.
Etymology
The Dutch word "aanvankelijk" comes from the root "aanvang," meaning 'beginning' or 'commencement,' combined with the suffix "-elijk," which forms an adverb relating to time. Did you know? "Aanvang" itself derives from Middle Dutch, showing how the concept of beginnings has long been important in the language.
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"Aanvankelijk" appears in the Vocaplus list "Dutch - History - (B2) - set 1", containing 105 commonly used words.
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