écuyer

Forms

écuyer m (plural écuyers, feminine écuyère)^[1] Old French escuier, esquier, escuer;^[2][3][4] escuyer from the 16th century (1549) and écuyer from 1701.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French escuier, inherited from Late Latin scūtārius (“soldier of the imperial guard armed with a shield”), which in Medieval Latin also meant a squire (1080).^[2][3][5][1] The Latin word is derived from scūtum (“shield”), the source of écu.^[2][3][6] The later senses connected with horses were probably influenced by Latin equus (“horse”), which was thought to be in the word; this also affected its pronunciation.^[2][5][7] It is a doublet of scutaire.^[1]

Cognate with Occitan escudier, Spanish escudero, Portuguese escudeiro and Italian scudiere;^[4] Littré also lists the English words squire and esquire.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as escuier in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100), meaning a servant or groom.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 12th century the word came to mean a gentleman who carried a knight's shield and served him, and by the early 13th century a young noble not yet dubbed a knight, hence a title of the lowest ranks of the nobility.^[3][2] It was then the name of various officers of a king or prince: écuyer de cuisine (about 1393), écuyer tranchant who carved the meat (1429) and écuyer de bouche who served at the king's table (1680).^[3][8]

From 1265 it also named the steward of a prince's stables, and the Grand Écuyer (1549) commanded the king's great stable.^[3][6] In the 17th century it came to mean a good horseman, and in 1636 a riding master; today the idea of the horse dominates.^[3][2][7]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Escuier “servant” appears in the Chanson de Roland.^[2]
• 1174–1176 – Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence uses it of a chosen servant.^[2]
• Early 13th century – In Lancelot it is the title of a young noble not yet a knight.^[2][3]
• 1265 – It names the steward of a prince's stables.^[3][6]
• 1429 – Écuyer tranchant is recorded.^[3][8]
• 1549 – Robert Estienne records grand escuyer.^[2]
• 1636 – Monet records the sense “horseman, riding master”.^[2][3]
• 1701 – The spelling écuyer is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (historical) A squire, a young noble who carried a knight's shield and served him; also a title of the lowest ranks of the nobility.^[2][6][4]
2. (historical) An officer of a royal or princely household: écuyer tranchant (carver), écuyer de bouche (who served at table).^[6][4]
3. (historical) The steward of a prince's stables, an equerry;^[6][4][1] le grand écuyer commanded the king's stables.^[6][4][1]
4. A skilled horseman, a riding instructor, or a rider who performs in a circus: les écuyers du Cadre noir.^[6][2][1]

Word family

• écurie

Related words

• écu
• écuyère
• scutaire
• Latin scūtārius

Usage notes

Bottes à l'écuyère are tall, supple riding boots with turned-down tops.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse