polder

Where does the word "polder" come from? It comes from Middle Dutch polre, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Polder’s story begins in Middle Dutch: polre meant “reclaimed land.” Reclaimed land enclosed by dikes. It reached English by 1600s as polder. Dutch engineers such as Cornelius Vermuyden drained England's Fens in the 1600s. Today, polder means a piece of low-lying land reclaimed from the sea.

1. Stage 1 · Middle Dutch · medieval polre "reclaimed land", reclaimed land enclosed by dikes.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s polder "reclaimed land", Dutch engineers such as Cornelius Vermuyden drained England's Fens in the 1600s.