Etymologically
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dauphin

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈdəʊ.fæ̃/, /ˈdɔː.fɪn/ (UK); /doʊˈfæ̃/, /ˈdɔ.fɪn/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French dauphin,[2][3][4][5] from Old French daufin, dalfin, originally the surname of the lords of the Dauphiné,[2][3][6][7] from Medieval Latin Dalphinus, for Latin delphīnus (“dolphin”) (see dolphin).[3][4][5][8] The name refers to the dolphins on the family's coat of arms.[2][3][4][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The title of the eldest son of the king of France (1418 in Barnhart; early 15th century in Etymonline; 1485 in the OED).[3][4][9]

Semantic evolution

The name was first borne by Guigo IV, count of Vienne (died 1142), and his successors, whose arms showed three dolphins,[8][4] and their province came to be called the Dauphiné.[8][3][10] When Humbert, the last lord of the Dauphiné, ceded the province to Philip of Valois in 1349, he made it a condition that the title be borne by the eldest son of the French king,[3][11][7] and it was so used until 1830.[2][9][12] English also used the form dolphin, rarely after 1670.[9][7]

Timeline

  • 1142 – death of Guigo IV, the first Dalphinus.[8]
  • 1349 – the title passes to the French king's eldest son.[3][9]
  • 1418 – in English.[3]
  • 1830 – the title falls out of use.[2][9]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The eldest son of the king of France, from 1349 to 1830; also used as his title, often capitalized.
  2. (historical) A feudal lord of a French province, especially the Dauphiné.

Word family

  • dauphiness
  • dauphine
  • dolphin
  • delphinium

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ a b c d e Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  9. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  10. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1911), A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, new ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  11. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
  12. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins