vreemd

Vreemd is a Dutch adjective meaning "strange" or "foreign, unfamiliar." The sense "strange" covers things that are unusual, odd, or unexpected, as in "een vreemd geluid" or "het voelt vreemd aan." The sense "foreign" refers to something not from the speaker's own place or culture, as in "vreemdeling" (foreign person) or "vreemd land." The word is frequently used in phrases such as "vreemd genoeg" meaning "strangely enough" and "het leek vreemd" meaning "it seemed strange."

In grammar, vreemd functions as a descriptive adjective. When used with a definite article (de/het), it takes an -e ending: "het vreemde verhaal" or "de vreemde talen." In the indefinite singular, it appears as "een vreemd verhaal." It can also form a verb: "vreemdgaan" meaning to have an extramarital affair; "vreemdgaan met" to cheat on someone.

Etymology: vreemd is descended from Middle Dutch vreem or vreem-te, related to Old Dutch and to German fremd, meaning foreign. It is cognate with related Germanic terms in other West Germanic languages and has the same semantic field in English via "foreign" and "strange."