verscheidene

Verscheidene is a Dutch adjective that, in many contexts, functions as a variant spelling of the more common moderne spellings verschillen or verschillende. It expresses plurality and variety, roughly equivalent to “several” or “various.” In contemporary standard Dutch, the preferred form is verschillende; verscheidene is typically encountered in older texts, historical writing, or in regions with more conservative or literary usage. The word is usually placed before a plural noun to denote multiple distinct items or cases.

Etymology and cognates: Verscheidene is built from the verb scheiden (to separate) with the prefix ver-, a common Dutch formative pattern. The sense of distinguishing among items contributed to its meaning of “several” or “various.” The Dutch form is cognate with the German verschiedene, which shares the same origin and similar meaning.

Usage notes: While often interchangeable with verschillende, verscheidene carries a more formal or archaic tone and is less common in everyday speech today. It can appear in quotations, historical documents, or stylistic writing to evoke a past linguistic register. Both verscheidene and verschiedene are used before plural nouns to indicate a non-specific subset of items rather than a single, uniform group.

See also: Verschillende (modern Dutch spelling); Verschiedene (German cognate). In Dutch dictionaries, verscheidene is typically listed as an older or regional variant of dezelfde meaning.