bliksem

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans bliksem.

Noun

bliksem (plural bliksems)

1. (colloquial, South Africa) bastard, arsehole, sod.

Verb

bliksem (third-person singular simple present bliksems, present participle blikseming or bliksemming, simple past and past participle bliksemed or bliksemmed)

1. (transitive, colloquial, South Africa) To beat up.
   • 2022, Peter Lindenberg, Flat Out and Fearless:

     I was repeatedly sent to the headmaster's office for blikseming someone for wronging another kid.

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch bliksem, from Middle Dutch blexeme, from Old Dutch blikisni (“lightning bolts”), ultimately from a Proto-Germanic derivation of Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈblək.səm/

• Audio:

  (file)

Interjection

bliksem

1. damnit!

Noun

bliksem (plural bliksems, diminutive bliksempie)

1. (uncountable, dated) lightning
2. (colloquial) bastard, arsehole, sod

Usage notes

• Due to the fact that this is also used as an expletive, the usage of this word to mean "lightning" has seen a steady decline. Weerlig is more commonly used instead.

Synonyms

• (electrical discharge): weerlig, blits

Derived terms

• bliksemstraal

Verb

bliksem (present bliksem, present participle bliksemende, past participle gebliksem)

1. (colloquial) to hit, to beat up

   Ek sal jou bliksem!

   I will beat you up!

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈblɪk.səm/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: blik‧sem

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch blexeme, from Old Dutch blikisni (“lightning bolts”), ultimately from a Proto-Germanic derivation of Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ-.

Noun

bliksem m (plural bliksems, diminutive bliksempje n)

1. lightning

Synonyms

• hemelvuur
• (Flanders) hemellicht
• (silent lightning) weerlicht

Derived terms

• als de bliksem
• blauwe bliksem
• bliksemafleider
• bliksemen
• bliksemflits
• blikseminslag
• bliksemlicht
• bliksemoorlog
• bliksempijl
• bliksemschicht
• bliksemsnel
• bliksemstraal
• bliksemtrein
• bolbliksem
• hete bliksem

Descendants

• Afrikaans: bliksem
• Negerhollands: blix
• → Papiamentu: bliksem

See also

• donder
• onweer

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

bliksem

1. inflection of bliksemen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative