mooi

From Dutch mooi.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmʊəɪ̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

mooi (attributive mooie, comparative mooier, superlative mooiste)

1. beautiful, pretty

From Middle Dutch mooy, moy, from Old Dutch mōi (“beautiful, trim, neat”, attested in nicknames), further origin uncertain; possibly from Proto-West Germanic *mauwī (“clean, washed”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *mawjaz, *maujaz, from Proto-Indo-European *mewH- (“to wet, wash”). Further etymology unknown. Cognate with Middle Low German môi, môie (whence German Low German mooi (“beautiful”)).

• IPA^(key): /moːi̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mooi
• Rhymes: -oːi̯

mooi (comparative mooier, superlative mooist)

1. beautiful, pretty, handsome

   Synonyms: aantrekkelijk, fraai, knap, schoon

   Wat een mooi meisje. ― What a beautiful girl.

   Ik ben te mooi om te werken. ― I'm too beautiful to work.

2. nice, good

   Mooi werk! ― Nice work!

• Afrikaans: mooi
• Berbice Creole Dutch: moi
• Jersey Dutch: mûi
• Negerhollands: mooi, mooj, mui
• Skepi Creole Dutch: moi, moye
• → Aukan: moi
• → Caribbean Hindustani: moi
• → Kwinti: moi
• → North Frisian: mooi
• → Saterland Frisian: mooi
• → Scots: moy
• → Saramaccan: moi
• → Sranan Tongo: moi
  • → Ndyuka-Trio Pidgin: moime
• → West Frisian: moai

• van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “mooi”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute