Schoonere

Schoonere is a historical or dialectal form of the Dutch adjective schoon, meaning clean or pure. In standard contemporary Dutch, the common comparative is schoner, while schooner or schoonere appears mainly in older texts, poetry, or certain regional varieties. The word denotes a higher degree of cleanliness or purity, comparable to “more clean” in English.

Etymology and form: Schoonere reflects older Dutch inflection patterns in which the comparative suffix -ere was used with some adjectives. Over time, modern spelling and usage settled on the form schoner for most one-syllable adjectives like schoon. As a result, schooner or schoonere is now largely seen as archaic, literary, or dialectal rather than standard.

Usage and context: Today, schooner is the preferred comparative in standard Dutch. Schoonere may appear when quoting historical texts, in metrical writing, or in certain dialects where the traditional suffix appears to fit local pronunciation or rhythm. It can also appear in discussions of Dutch etymology or in commentaries on older language varieties.

See also: Dutch grammar, comparative forms, regional Dutch dialects, historical Dutch orthography.

Notes: Although schooner or schoonere is rarely used in everyday language, understanding the distinction helps in interpreting older Dutch sources and studying the evolution of Dutch adjective inflection.