étourdi

Forms

étourdi (feminine étourdie, masculine plural étourdis, feminine plural étourdies), also a noun.^[1][2] Old French estordi, esturdi and estourdi; the spelling étourdi is recorded in 1636.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is the past participle, used as an adjective and noun, from French étourdir.^[5][3][1] The verb is generally traced to Vulgar Latin *exturdiō, derived from turdus (“thrush”), probably meaning to be dazed like a thrush drunk on grapes.^[5][6][7][1] Picoche starts instead from a Vulgar Latin participle *exturdītus.^[8][2][4] The same image of the thrush as a fool is found in Italian tordo, which means both “thrush” and “fool” (beside stordire (“to stun”)), and in a Spanish phrase “to have a thrush's head”.^[6][7] Pierre Guiraud rejects this sense development and proposes a Gallo-Romance *extorpidire, formed on torpidus (“numb”).^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is first found as the byname of a Ricard Estordit in the Exon Domesday Book (1086),^[5][4][6] then about 1200 as the participle esturdi in the Chanson de Guillaume, of a man who has been stunned.^[5][3]

Semantic evolution

The participle first meant dazed or stunned, from a blow, giddiness or drink, as its verb did.^[3][5][9] From the 14th century it was used of what is done without thought, as in Cuvelier's bataille d'estourdie façon in the chronicle of Bertrand du Guesclin, and by 1559 of a person who acts thoughtlessly, as in Amyot's nonchalance estourdie.^[5][9][3] The 15th century already used à l'estourdie for acting rashly.^[9]

Its derivatives come from the adjective: étourderie (1674), while étourdissement (1213) comes from the verb.^[6]

Timeline

• 1086 – The byname Estordit appears in the Exon Domesday Book.^[5][4]
• c. 1200 – Esturdi “stunned” appears in the Chanson de Guillaume.^[5]
• 14th century – Cuvelier uses it for something done without thought.^[5][9]
• 15th century – À l'estourdie is recorded.^[9]
• 1559 – Amyot uses it of thoughtless behaviour.^[5][9]
• 1636 – Monet records the spelling étourdi.^[3]
• 1674 – étourderie is first recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Acting without thinking, scatterbrained, absent-minded, distrait: une élève étourdie.^[2][5][1]
2. Done or said without thought: une remarque étourdie.^[3][9]
3. Dazed, stunned or dizzy, from a blow, drink or noise.^[3][9][1]
4. Être étourdi comme un hanneton: to be very scatterbrained.^[5][9]

Noun

1. A scatterbrain, a thoughtless person: quel étourdi !^[2][1][9]

Word family

• étourderie
• étourdiment

Related words

• étourdir
• étourdissement
• étourdissant

Usage notes

The adverbial phrase à l'étourdie means thoughtlessly, like étourdiment.^[9] Littré explains the comparison with the cockchafer by the way the insect drops when touched in flight.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette