épagneul

Forms

épagneul m (plural épagneuls, feminine épagneule)^[1] Middle French espaignol (14th century), then espaigneul (1465), with the French suffix -eul in place of the Spanish one.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is from French espagnol (“Spanish”) used as a noun, for a hunting dog from Spain, first written espaignol.^[2][5] The form espaigneul of 1465 replaced the foreign-looking ending with the French suffix -eul.^[2][3][4]

Bloch and Wartburg and the Grand Robert instead take it from Spanish español, which goes back to Vulgar Latin *hispaniolus, from Latin Hispania (“Spain”).^[3][6][7] Rey also traces it to that popular Latin form, built on hispānus (“Spanish”), while noting that others see in it simply the adjective used as a noun.^[4] Wiktionary has it come into French through Old Occitan espaignol (“Spanish”).^[1] Littré cites the Walloon form epagnote.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded as espaignol in the hunting treatise Modus et Ratio (1354–1376), already meaning a hunting dog of the kind called after Spain.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its first meaning, a long-haired hunting dog with drooping ears, said to come originally from Spain.^[2][7][5] In the 14th century the Ménagier de Paris tells the sparrowhawk hunter to provide himself with espaignols.^[5] The feminine épagneule names the bitch, and the word is also used in apposition, as an adjective, in chien épagneul.^[2][5]

Breeds are named after French regions, as in épagneul breton and épagneul picard.^[2][7]

Timeline

• 1354–1376 – Espaignol appears in Modus et Ratio.^[2]
• 1375 – Bloch and Wartburg's date for the modern sense, in the form espaignol.^[3]
• 1465 – The French form espaigneul is recorded at La Rochelle.^[2][4]
• 17th century – According to Chifflet's grammar, the final ⟨l⟩ was not pronounced.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A spaniel, a hunting or pet dog with long silky hair and drooping ears.^[8][2][7]
2. Épagneul breton, épagneul picard: French breeds of this dog.^[2][7]

Related words

• espagnol
• Latin Hispania

Usage notes

Littré notes that in Chifflet's time the final ⟨l⟩ was silent, so that La Fontaine could rhyme the plural as épagneux.^[5]

References

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