voortdragen

Voortdragen is a Dutch verb meaning to carry forward, to continue, or to bear forward. The core idea is to move something ahead in time or to preserve a lineage, tradition, or process. The word is formed from dragen (to carry) with the prefix voort-, which adds forward or continuation.

In concrete usage, voortdragen has both literal and figurative senses. In obstetric contexts it refers to carrying a pregnancy to term or to bearing a child: "een zwangerschap voortdragen" or "het kind voortdragen tot de bevalling." In non-medical contexts it can mean to carry something forward, such as a project, tradition, or succession: "de traditie wordt voortgedragen." In biology or genetics it can describe the transmission of traits from one generation to the next: "de eigenschap wordt voortgedragen." The term can also be used metaphorically to express continuity or inheritance, for example in describing cultural or familial legacies.

Grammatical note: voort is a separable prefix; in present-tense clauses it is typically placed before the main verb: "we dragen het project voort" or passive constructions like "het project wordt voortgedragen." Etymologically, voortdragen combines voort- (forward) with dragen (to carry), with attestations in Middle Dutch and older Dutch.

Overall, voortdragen denotes the act of carrying something forward, whether a pregnancy, a project, a tradition, or a trait across generations.