The word of 11 December 2025 was:

gijzelaar

(de) gij·ze·laar (zelfstandig naamwoord)
= hostage
= hostage-taker

gijzelen = to take hostage
-aar –> used to form an agent noun from a verb

The word 'gijzelaar' means 'hostage-taker' as an agent noun formed from the verb 'gijzelen', but it is more commonly used in the meaning of 'hostage'. Instead, the word 'gijzelnemer' is more commonly used in the meaning of 'hostage-taker'.

Read more about hostages on Wikipedia: link

"De gijzelaar holde de straat op en de dader ging erachteraan." – in: NOS.nl (2022)

"Hij eiste vrijlating van de gijzelaars en sprak met hun familieleden." – Jan van der Putten, in: De Groene Amsterdammer (2025)