Zeese

• Zese (archaic)

First attested in 1640. Probably deverbal (with East Central German vocalism) from Middle High German zeisen (“to pluck, pull apart”), from Old High German zeisan, from Proto-Germanic *taisaną (cf. English tose).

The lack of an according Low German form *Teese is somewhat surprising. Therefore one might alternatively consider derivation from Low German seisen, zeisen (“to tie up”), itself from English seize; but this verb is attested too late to be a plausible etymon (cf. Dutch seizen since 1657).

• IPA^(key): /ˈtseːzə/

Zeese f (genitive Zeese, plural Zeesen) (nautical, fishing)

1. a kind of traditional dragnet used along the German Baltic coast
2. ellipsis of Zeesenboot or Zeesenkahn (“a boat used for fishing with such a net”)

• “Zeese” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Zeese” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.