De vanzelfsprekendheid
Example: De vanzelfsprekendheid van democratie werd eeuwenlang niet betwijfeld.
Definition
"De vanzelfsprekendheid" refers to the quality or state of being obvious, natural, or taken for granted, especially in historical contexts where certain concepts or conditions, like democracy, are accepted without question over a long period.
Etymology
The Dutch word "de vanzelfsprekendheid" combines 'vanzelf', meaning 'by itself' or 'naturally', and 'sprekendheid', derived from 'spreken', meaning 'to speak'. It literally suggests something that 'speaks for itself', indicating something self-evident or obvious. Did you know that this word captures the idea of something so natural it needs no explanation?
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"De vanzelfsprekendheid" appears in the Vocaplus list "Dutch - History - (C2) - set 1", containing 106 commonly used words.
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taken-for-grantedness