écuelle

Forms

écuelle f (plural écuelles)^[1] Old French escuele and escuelle; the spelling écuelle is recorded in 1636.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French escuele, inherited from Vulgar Latin *scūtella, an altered form of Latin scutella (“small dish”), influenced by scūtum (“shield”) (whence écu) because the two objects were alike in shape.^[3][4][5][6] The Latin word is a diminutive of scutra, according to Wiktionary, or of scuta, according to Littré and the Grand Robert.^[1][7][8]

The word exists in all the Gallo-Romance dialects.^[6] Cognate with Italian scodella, which keeps the Classical Latin form,^[6][5] and with Old Occitan escudella, Spanish escudilla and Portuguese escudela.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as escüele about 1119 in Philippe de Thaon's Comput, naming a bowl for food.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

In the Middle Ages the écuelle, a deep, wide dish without a rim for liquid foods, was in daily use even at the tables of the great, and les écuelles long meant the dishes in general (1694).^[5] A 13th-century proverb says À tart manjue qui à autrui escuele s'atent, “he eats late who waits for another's bowl”.^[7] The word has stood for the contents of the bowl since 1671.^[5][2] Since assiette spread, it has a rural or pejorative ring and is often used of a bowl for feeding an animal.^[5]

By likeness of shape it became a term of architecture and seamanship (écuelle de cabestan, 1691), and écuelle d'eau names a marsh plant (1671).^[5] Old phrases included manger à la même écuelle “to share plans” (1821).^[5][7]

Timeline

• c. 1119 – Escüele appears in Philippe de Thaon's Comput.^[3]
• 13th century – The derivative escüelee is recorded.^[3][5]
• 1260 – Escuellier “maker of bowls” is recorded.^[5]
• 1636 – Monet spells it écuelle.^[2]
• 1671 – Pomey records the sense “contents of a bowl”, and écuelle d'eau names a plant.^[2][5]
• 1691 – Écuelle de cabestan is used in seamanship.^[5]
• 1694 – Les écuelles means the dishes.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A wide, deep bowl without a rim, and its contents: une écuelle de soupe.^[9][3]
2. A bowl for feeding an animal: l'écuelle du chien.^[9][5]
3. (botany) Écuelle d'eau: pennywort (Hydrocotyle).^[9][5]

Word family

• écuellée
• écuellier

Related words

• écu
• Latin scutella

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 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
4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 350b
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert