Aktieve

Aktieve is a spelling variant of the Dutch and Afrikaans adjective meaning “active.” In modern standard Dutch the common form is actieve, and aktieve is generally regarded as archaic or regional, appearing mainly in older texts or in historical quotations. In Afrikaans a cognate form, aktiewe, is used.

Origin and orthography: The variant aktieve reflects older Dutch spelling practices that used a k where today’s Dutch often uses c, especially before i and e. Spelling reforms in the 19th and 20th centuries led to the more widespread use of actiewe in many words, including this one, aligning with modern Dutch conventions.

Usage and context: Today aktieve is rarely seen in contemporary Dutch outside of historical writing, quotations, or dialectal/legal texts where older orthography is preserved. It may also appear in proper names or in discussions of historical language forms. By contrast, the modern Dutch adjective for “active” is actieve, and the related noun form activiteit is commonly used for “activity.”

Related terms: The modern equivalents in Dutch include actief (masculine or general), actueel (current), and activiteit (activity). In Afrikaans, the cognate form aktiewe is part of standard usage meaning “active.”