Etymologically
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épaule

Etymology and origin of the French word épaule

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland (espalles)
Inherited from
Latin spathula via Old French
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (σπάθη)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /e.pol/[1]

Forms

épaule f (plural épaules)[1] Old French espalle, espalde (about 1120) and espaule (about 1155); the primitive form must have been *espadle; the Académie wrote épaule from 1740.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French espalle, inherited from Late Latin spathula (“spatula, (of animals) shoulder blade”), through Vulgar Latin *spatla.[5][2][4][1][6] “Spathula”, properly a kind of spoon, means “shoulder blade” in the cookery writer Apicius and was taken up late by spoken Latin in this sense; it is a diminutive of spatha (“broad sword”) (whence épée), from Ancient Greek σπάθη (spáthē).[4][2] spatule is a learned doublet.[1]

Cognate with Italian spalla, Spanish espalda, Old Occitan espatla and Catalan espatlla.[4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has Li reis Marsiles tint Guene par l'espalle (“King Marsile held Ganelon by the shoulder”).[7][5]

Semantic evolution

Hausser les épaules “to shrug” is recorded in 1611; earlier phrases such as haulser les épaules a la mode de Lombars (about 1500) and à l'italienne (about 1600) suggest the gesture came from northern Italy.[2] Par-dessus l'épaule had a negative value from the 16th to the 18th century and later meant “carelessly”, perhaps under the influence of par-dessous la jambe.[2] Prêter l'épaule à quelqu'un “to help” is in Montaigne, avoir la tête sur les épaules and changer son fusil d'épaule (19th century) are still in use.[2][8]

As in Latin it also names the foreleg joint of an animal and the corresponding cut of meat.[2] It has technical senses in carpentry (1264), fortification (late 16th century) and the navy (1678), and mountaineers have used it since Saussure (1796) for the shoulder of a mountain.[2][8] The verb épauler first meant “to dislocate the shoulder of (an animal)” (about 1200), then “to support” (1404).[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Espalle in the Chanson de Roland.[5]
  • c. 1155 – The form espaule, in Wace.[2][3]
  • c. 1200 – The derivative épauler.[2]
  • 1264 – A term of carpentry.[2]
  • 1611 – Hausser les épaules.[2]
  • 1740 – The Académie's spelling épaule.[3]
  • 1796 – The shoulder of a mountain, in Saussure.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The shoulder: une épaule démise, une tape sur l'épaule.[9][10]
  2. (plural) The shoulders, the upper back: avoir les épaules larges.[10][9]
  3. (butchery) Shoulder (of lamb, veal).[10][2]
  4. Hausser les épaules: to shrug.[2]
  5. Par-dessus l'épaule: carelessly, avoir la tête sur les épaules: to be level-headed.[2]
  6. Changer son fusil d'épaule: to change one's tactics or opinion.[2]
  7. (mountaineering) The shoulder of a mountain.[10][8]

Word family

  • épaulée
  • épauler
  • épaulement
  • épaulette
  • épée
  • spatule
  • Latin spathula

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b c 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
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 12, 146a
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Épaule.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/%C3%A9paule. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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