vervluchtigen

Vervluchtigen is a Dutch verb that is rarely used in contemporary standard Dutch. In sources where it appears, it is described as meaning to enchant, bewitch, or to endow a person, place, or scene with a magical, wondrous quality. The term is most often encountered in literary, religious, or folkloric contexts, rather than in everyday language.

Etymology and attestation are uncertain. The form is commonly analyzed as a composition with the prefix ver- combined with vluchtigen-related elements derived from vlucht or vluchtig (flight, fleeting). Because ver- plus vlucht- yields a sense of transformation toward a magical or ephemeral state, vervluchtigen is often treated as an archais or literary coinage rather than a standard contemporary verb. Consequently, it is not widely present in modern Dutch dictionaries and is mainly found in older texts or in studies of historical Dutch language and literature.

Usage and nuance. In the rare occurrences that it appears, vervluchtigen tends to appear in poetic, hagiographic, or fairy-tale-like passages where the author aims to evoke an aura of wonder, miracle, or otherworldliness. It can convey the idea of turning an ordinary reality into something ethereal or spellbound, rather than simply causing physical movement or escape. Because of its scarcity, vervluchtigen is often discussed alongside synonyms such as betoveren, toveren, or fascineren, which are more common and widely understood.

See also: betoveren, toveren, fascineren, ontplueming (in historical contexts). References to vervluchtigen are typically found in studies of archaic Dutch diction and literary criticism rather than in standard language usage.