trek

Where does the word "trek" come from? It comes from Dutch trekken, passing through Afrikaans before entering English (1800s).

Trek’s story begins in Dutch: trekken meant “to pull, journey.” Meaning "to pull" or "to journey". By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Afrikaans as trek. Applied to the long ox-wagon migrations of Boer settlers. It reached English by 1800s as trek. Afrikaans 'trek', to pull or travel by ox-wagon; the Great Trek of the Voortrekkers began in 1835. Today, trek means a long, arduous journey, especially made on foot.

1. Stage 1 · Dutch · medieval trekken "to pull, journey", meaning "to pull" or "to journey".
2. Stage 2 · Afrikaans · 1800s trek "a long, arduous journey", applied to the long ox-wagon migrations of Boer settlers.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s trek "a long, difficult journey, especially on foot", Afrikaans 'trek', to pull or travel by ox-wagon; the Great Trek of the Voortrekkers began in 1835.