sprinkleren

Sprinkleren is a Dutch verb that denotes the action of sprinkling or spraying a surface with a fine distribution of droplets or particles. The term can apply to watering crops with a gentle mist, distributing seeds or fertilizer in a light application, or dusting a surface with powder, sugar, or other small granules. In modern standard Dutch, sprinkleren is relatively uncommon and is largely found in older texts or regional dialects. In most contexts, speakers use sprenkelen, sproeien, or besproeien, depending on the nuance.

Etymology and variation: The word is formed from the root sprenk- or sprinkel- with the common infinitive ending -eren, and it shares semantic space with related forms such as sprenkelen and besprenkelen. Today the more frequent terms sprenkelen, sproeien, and besproeien are preferred in ordinary language, while sprinkleren may be encountered in historical or literary contexts to evoke older language.

Usage notes: Because sprinkler-related terminology is often specialized, contemporary writers tend to choose besproeien for irrigation and strooien for scattering powders or granules. Sprinkleren may appear to reflect regional speech or to convey an archaic or formal tone in literature, but it is not widespread in everyday usage.

See also: sprenkelen, besproeien, sproeien, strooien, sprinkler.