Questions tagged [étymologie]
Questions sur l'origine des mots et leur dérivation depuis des racines venues du latin, du grec et d'autres langues.
406
questions
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47 views
Inverse et réciproque dans le contexte mathématique : différence entre le français et l'anglais
En français on dit, fonction réciproque (p.ex. arcsin et sin) et fonction inverse (p.ex. 1/x et x). En anglais les termes sont, respectivement, inverse function et reciprocal function. Y a-t-il une ...
1
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0answers
87 views
D'où vient le e final de Cléopâtre en français ?
Je lisais un texte d'histoire en français et j'ai été surpris de voir comment Κλεοπάτρα (Kleopátra) était écrit: Cléopâtre.
J'ai deux questions:
pourquoi un accent sur le a (il y en a un en grec, ...
0
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2answers
144 views
Why does present conditional of avoir + pu translate English 'could have'?
I am wildered because aurait literally means 'would have'. Then *Elle aurait pu literally means 'she would have pu — it is blindingly obvious that 'could' hasn't cropped up, and the syntax has no ...
2
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0answers
116 views
Why does present conditional of avoir + dû translate English 'should have'? [closed]
I am befuddled because aurais literally means 'would have'. Then Tu aurais dû literally means 'you would have dû'' — it is blindingly obvious that 'should' has not materialized, and the syntax has no ...
0
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2answers
84 views
Why does present conditional of devoir translate English 'should'?
I am ESL. I do not know Latin. User None commented
Anyway you should bear in mind that Should is the past tense of shall, and shall was used in Old English to express necessity/obligation (OED). ...
4
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1answer
68 views
Étymologie de «Javetz», nom d'origine de «Javel» (comme «Eau de Javel»)
Est-ce-que quelqu’un connait l’étymologie / l'origine du mot « Javetz » - c'était le nom d'origine du « quartier de Javel » (à Paris), d'où vient le mot « Eau de Javel »
À mon avis, le mot « Javetz » ...
4
votes
1answer
164 views
What are the origins of French term 'les salamalecs'
This word has been described in a previous entry on the site as 'exaggerated shows of politeness, eg when greeting or welcoming someone at a formal event. The word has a negative connotation, being ...
4
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1answer
76 views
Comment « appréhender » a-t-il glissé sémantiquement pour signifier « redouter, craindre » ?
Appréhender a trois sens :
D'abord « prendre, saisir, attraper » qui est le plus fidèle à son étymologie (du latin apprehendere de même sens).
Ensuite « comprendre, saisir par l'esprit », qui se ...
0
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1answer
28 views
What does "changement très rare dans ce sens, mais plus courant dans l’autre" mean for the etymology of "morigéner"?
I know that Wiktionnaire can be unreliable, but is it correct? I can translate the quotation in question — very rare change in this sense, but more au courant in the other.
Mais lequel est "ce ...
0
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1answer
52 views
For tancer, how did « tendre, faire effort » semantically appertain "to scold, rebuke"?
How did « tendre, faire effort » semantically shift to mean to repimand/reprimander? What semantic notions underlie them?
Doubtless, TENDING, TENDERING, or EXTENDING (« tendre ») or making an effort ≠...
0
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1answer
48 views
If "par" ≠ quelque ("some"), then how can parfois ≅ quelquefois = sometimes?
Unquestionably, par doesn't necessarily mean quelque. For example, you can't replace par with quelque in en quelque sorte, quelque peu, quelque temps, quelque'un.
But then why does parfois = ...
3
votes
1answer
59 views
Pourquoi jus et juteux ont-ils des orthographes incohérentes ?
Pourquoi écrit-on « le jus » ?
L'adjectif correspondant c'est « juteux ». Il serait donc logique d'écrire « le jut ».
5
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2answers
215 views
How do soit's 3 significations semantically appertain each other [1] 3SG PRS subjunctive of être, [2] "let be" in math, and [3] "either ... or"?
What's the semantic field of soit? What notions underlie these 3 significations that look completely unrelated to me?
Alain Rey, ed. Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, 4th edn. 2 vols. ...
1
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1answer
43 views
What do the verb prefixes in "aborder/déborder" mean ?
In this case of "aborder" and "déborder", the "a-" and "de-" seem to related to a direction. Is this generally so?
Are "a-" and "dé-" ...
1
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1answer
58 views
How did « comme » + « bien » compound to signify « combien » (quelle quantité, quel nombre)?
How do comme and bien semantically appertain to comme's definitions below in 2021 Modern French? Neither of them signifies the definitions below.
Dans quelle mesure, à quel point.
quelle quantité, ...
2
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2answers
570 views
I am a little bit confused due to the difference between dictionaries on the verb "ficher". Can native speakers take a look?
When you look up in these two dictionaries (Collins, Cambridge) the verb ficher has meanings like to file, to put on file, to record. However, Google Translate has completely different definitions ...
2
votes
2answers
207 views
Why is 'jouer' used with à?
Consider the sentence:
Il joue au tennis.
Is the true meaning he is having fun time / feeling joy at tennis?
EDIT BELOW
By 'true meaning' I mean the etymological/ancient/root/deep meaning or a ...
1
vote
1answer
108 views
Peut-on établir un lien quelconque entre "mousse" et "moissine" ?
Peut-on supposer que l'origine étymologique de mousse et de moissine est identique ?
On trouve dans le Littré :
mousse : Berry, mosse ; provenç. mos ; ital. mozzo ; du germanique : rhétique, mutt, ...
5
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3answers
126 views
C'est quoi l'explication étymologique du "c" au milieu de "coincer" ?
Bonjour, j'ai une question très, très "niche" à vous poser. Pourquoi y-a-t-il un deuxième 'c' dans le verbe "coincer" alors qu'il est basé sur le mot "coin" ? Autrement ...
2
votes
1answer
143 views
Pourquoi "le vin rosé" et non "rose"?
Comparer: "vin rouge", "vin blanc", mais "vin rosé", alors qu'on attendrait "vin rose". Pourquoi cette différence?
0
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2answers
44 views
"Il faut la taille mince et le prix léger" : signification, origine ?
Dans l'avant-propos d'un ouvrage on lit :
L'organisation en crédits d'enseignement entraîne des variations entre les Universités. Les deux premières années de licence (L1 et L2) ont cependant ...
4
votes
1answer
105 views
Comment est le b apparu dans "humble"?
J'étais en train de penser comment expliquer la différence entre humble et humility en anglais, et je me suis rendue compte que cette différence a dû passer du français en anglais.
Sur l'étymologie du ...
2
votes
2answers
75 views
Why does 'pis-aller' mean 'dernier ressort'?
E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. defines 'pis-aller' as 'dernier ressort'. English Wiktionary translates the etymons.
From French pis-aller, from pis (“worst”) + ...
1
vote
1answer
117 views
How did 'à savoir' semantically shift to mean 'c’est-à-dire'?
Undeniably, "savoir" and "dire" are different concepts. Thus how do they appertain to each other? The same semantic shift also happened in English, from "that is to wit" ...
1
vote
1answer
133 views
How did tôt shift from denoting « chaudement » to « promptement »?
I don't understand the emboldening from CNTRL. How does « chaudement » semantically appertain to « promptement »?
Du lat. pop. tostum, neutre prés. adv. de tostus « grillé, rôti, brûlé », part. passé ...
0
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0answers
44 views
Does this site include questions for Louisiana French?
I wanted to add information pertaining to the term "titi" but it said I was restricted and I didn't know if this site included Louisiana French as I've been told it's, not the same, to put ...
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1answer
56 views
How did 'solliciter' semantically shift to signify ‘manage affairs’? [closed]
How did sollicitāre ‘disturb, agitate’ semantically shift to the meaning of "manage affairs"? I don't understand because "disturb, agitate" pejoratively connotes discontentment and ...
1
vote
2answers
171 views
How did 'gratuité' shift to signify 'an additional payment given freely as thanks for service'?
Undeniably, graciousness differs from money! Graciousness is a behaviour and quality, whilst money is a physical a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value.
gratuity (n.)
1520s, &...
0
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1answer
41 views
How did 'forfeit' shift to signify ‘penalty imposed for committing such a misdeed'?
I don't understand this semantic shift, because a misdeed differs from a penalty or "something to which the right is lost through a misdeed". Can someone please fill in the gap?
forfeit [13]...
2
votes
1answer
47 views
Etymology of 'motet'
This word is by definition a short piece of choral music and a word of French origin according to the etymology section on Wiktionary. Although it is not stated specifically if motet falls under the ...
2
votes
1answer
133 views
Why did Old French borrow de- to mean "academic degree", not sup-?
I hope my befuddlement is self explanatory and obvious. In Modern English and French, degrade and degrader still negatively connote debasing or demeaning. But academic degrees, goals, and progress are ...
2
votes
1answer
60 views
Why did Old French borrow "praemissa" for "premise"?
It feels weird to think of premises as being "sent ahead". It makes more sense to think of premises as being put down, like in the etymology of the English thesis or French thèse quoted ...
1
vote
2answers
65 views
How did "trouver", which originally meant "compose", shift to mean "find"?
Kindly see the embolded phrase below. How's the notion of inventing related to finding? Can you please expound this semantic shift?
troubadour [18]
A troubadour is
etymologically someone who ‘finds’ ...
1
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0answers
330 views
How did "attendre" shift from signifying "direct one's attention to" to "wait"?
Ayto doesn't expound how attendre signifies "to wait" in French. Unquestionably, directing one's attention to something differs from waiting. E.g. when people wait in line or for their ...
2
votes
0answers
50 views
How do bungs semantically relate to eyes?
I'm assuming Etymonline signifies "A stopper for closing a hole in a container" for bung. But I can't think of any semantic relationship between bungs and eyes! Their functions and purposes ...
0
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0answers
20 views
How did "fisike" shift from meaning "natural science" to "medicine"? [duplicate]
What's the antecedent of "its meaning"? I'm guessing fisike..
Can you please expound on this shift that I embolded? The author didn't.
physics [16] Physics comes ultimately from
Greek ...
1
vote
1answer
206 views
How exactly did agréer invert in French?
agréer flipped the subject and direct object like like (v.) and please (v.), correct? But what were the steps? I'm guessing French commenced with
Mes desiderata m'agréent.
Syntactically how did this ...
5
votes
2answers
139 views
Prononciation du mot "haricot"
Je sais que l'h du mot "haricot" est aspiré. Le haricot ; les haricot (pas d'élision ; pas de liaison).
J'ai entendu plusieurs fois des natifs dire "les haricots verts" en faisant ...
1
vote
2answers
72 views
Écriture du mot 'été'
Pourquoi le mot été (saison) s'écrit comme le participe passé du verbe être. Je pense à l'étymologie
Wallon, osté ; Berry, sté, asté, sécheresse ; bourguign. étai ; provenç. estat, s. f. ; ital. ...
1
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1answer
252 views
Why is the French name for Greenland 'Groenland'?
Today, I learned that the island of Greenland is called 'Groenland' in French. In Spanish and Italian, it is the same. The Wikipedia page did not explain why it is not 'Pays Verte' or something like ...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
Pourquoi "précédent" n'a-t-il pas la forme d'un adjectif verbal?
Bonjour,
je faisais autrefois la faute d'orthographier "précédant" l'adjectif "précédent". Je trouve la forme néanmoins toujours convaincante (!): j'écrirais volontiers "la ...
0
votes
1answer
35 views
Are épier and espionner etymologically related?
Both words have similar meanings, épier (to peek) and espionner (to spy). Also épier looks like espionner without the “s”, as many other Latin derived words that lose some “s” in French. Are these ...
1
vote
1answer
101 views
Why is it that you use "en" before feminine country names but "au" before masculine ones?
Edit: This isn't a question about how the grammar works. It is about WHY it works the way it does. Hence the etymologie tag.
Why is it that you use "en" before feminine country names but &...
1
vote
1answer
111 views
Origin of "Bourreau de travail"
According to http://www.linternaute.fr/expression/langue-francaise/20292/bourreau-de-travail/
Origine inconnue pour cette expression.
The question is evident. What could be some possible assertions ...
2
votes
2answers
49 views
Le sens commun de "la sonde"
Ce sont des sens de "sonde" dans la dictionnaire:
tube que l'on insère dans le corps
appareil pour mesurer la profondeur de l'eau
appareil pour creuser
appareil que l'on envoie dans l'...
4
votes
1answer
59 views
Was "être égaré" used in nautical contexts before 1600?
The Spanish expression al garete means literally "to drift" or even "to sink" depending on the context (among other figurative meanings). The Royal Spanish Academy considers the ...
4
votes
1answer
131 views
What color is "vert Anglais"?
I am shopping for a bicycle which is available in "vert Anglais" but I'm having a hard time finding out exactly which colors could be considered "vert Anglais". I am also ...
5
votes
1answer
153 views
Accent circonflexe sur « mû »
Le participe passé du verbe mouvoir s'écrit avec un accent circonflexe. D'où vient-il ?
Les autres verbes du 3e groupe en -oir/-oire n'en ont pas (pu, plu, cru, bu, ...). Celui de mûrir sert à faire ...
4
votes
1answer
79 views
Comment « re » + « partir » se fédèrent-ils sémantiquement pour signifier « répliquer » ?
Quelles notions sémantiques sous-tendent « re » + « partir » avec « riposter aussitôt à un propos » ? repartee (n.)
1640s, "quick remark," from French repartie "an answering blow or ...
5
votes
1answer
134 views
Why is "générique" the word for "theme song"?
Why is "générique" the word used in French to refer to the credits/title sequence/theme song of a T.V. show or movie? How did "générique" come to acquire such a meaning? So far, I'...