écrin

Forms

écrin m (plural écrins)^[1] Old French escrin, Middle French escrain; the spelling écrin is recorded in 1671.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French escrin, inherited from Latin scrīnium (“chest, case for papers”).^[4][5][3] Rey calls the Latin word a technical term of uncertain origin.^[3]

Cognate with Italian scrigno, the old Spanish escriño (“straw basket”) and Old Occitan escrinh.^[6] The English word shrine goes back to the same Latin noun.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as escrin in the French glosses of Rashi, in the second half of the 11th century, meaning a chest or casket.^[4][2] The sense “chest” was the usual one throughout the Middle Ages.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word kept the meaning of its Latin source, a box for keeping things.^[3] From about 1190 to the 15th century it was also used for archives, which were kept in such a chest.^[3] From the early 16th century it was used particularly of a case for precious objects,^[3] and in 1694 the Académie recorded it, by metonymy, for the jewels kept in such a case.^[3][2]

In literary use it is applied by analogy to anything that surrounds and sets off something precious, as in écrin de verdure.^[4][7]

Timeline

• 2nd half of the 11th century – Escrin “chest, casket” appears in Rashi's glosses.^[4]
• c. 1165 – Escrins is used in Guillaume d'Angleterre.^[4]
• c. 1190 – First used for archives kept in a chest, a sense lost after the 15th century.^[3]
• 1504 – Escrain names a case for precious objects.^[3]
• 1636 – Monet spells it écrain.^[2]
• 1671 – Pomey spells it écrin.^[2]
• 1694 – The Académie records the sense “the jewels kept in a case”.^[3][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A casket or lined case for jewels or other precious objects: offrir une bague dans un écrin.^[7][4]
2. The jewels kept in such a case.^[2][8]
3. (figurative, literary) A setting that surrounds and shows off something precious: un écrin de verdure.^[4][7]

Related words

• Latin scrīnium
• English shrine

Usage notes

C'est le plus beau joyau de son écrin says of something that it is the most precious thing a person has.^[8][2]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 336b
6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette