plukken

Plukken is a Dutch verb meaning to pick, pluck, or harvest. It is used for selecting ripe fruit or vegetables from plants, gathering flowers, or collecting herbs. In addition to agricultural contexts, plukken describes the act of plucking strings on a musical instrument, such as a guitar or lute, where one speaks of “snaren plukken.”

The word can function in various phrases related to gathering or collecting items, such as plukken van bessen or het plukken van kruiden, to indicate the action of harvesting or selecting ingredients. As a noun, the related form de pluk or het plukken refers to the act of picking or the harvest itself; it can describe a specific harvest or a moment of collecting produce.

Conjugation and grammar: the infinitive is plukken. Present tense forms include ik pluk, jij plukt, hij plukt; wij plukken, jullie plukken, zij plukken. The simple past is plukte (ik plukte, jij plukte, hij plukte; wij/plukken) and the past participle is geplukt, used in the present perfect as heeft geplukt or hebben geplukt.

Etymology: plukken is cognate with the German pflücken and the English pluck, reflecting a shared West Germanic origin.

Usage notes: plukken is a common, everyday verb in Dutch, applicable to both horticultural activities and non-agricultural contexts such as music or metaphorical expressions. Its meaning is determined by context, with the core sense centered on selecting or removing parts from a whole.