absinthe

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ap.sɛ̃t/^[1]

Forms

absinthe f (plural absinthes)^[1] Old French absince (about 1190, still in the 17th century), absynce, absinthe (1448); the spelling with ⟨i⟩ prevails in the Académie from 1762^[2][3][4]. The gender long wavered, Vaugelas making it masculine.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin absinthium, which named both the plant artemisia and, from Pliny on, the drink made from it,^{[4][2][3][5][1][6]} from Ancient Greek ἀψίνθιον (apsínthion, “wormwood”), a pre-Greek word.^[2][7] The ending suggested the folk etymology “herbe sainte” “holy herb”, after the plant's medicinal use.^[2]

Only Old Occitan aisens and some Franche-Comté and Gascon dialect forms are inherited from the popular Latin “ausentium”.^[2][3][8] Old French had another name for the plant, aluisne, which survives in Norman “aliène”.^[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old French absince (about 1190) first names wine flavoured with wormwood; the plant itself is called absinthe from 1448.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Following Church Latin, the bitter plant stood for bitterness and sorrow, from Maurice Scève to La Bruyère^[3][2][4]; Malherbe even wrote adoucir toutes nos absynthes.^[3][2][4] The word also covers other species of artemisia.^[2][9]

The green spirit distilled from the leaves appears in 1811 and became important after 1860, when la fée verte was denounced as a social scourge and a symbol of alcoholism; it was banned in France in 1915.^[2][9] Most derivatives belong to that era: absinthier and s'absinther (1866), absinthisme (1871).^[2] Vert absinthe is a yellowish green (1925).^[10]

Timeline

• c. 1190 – Absince, wormwood wine.^[2][9]
• 1448 – Absinthe, the plant.^[2][3]
• 1546 – Absinthe in Rabelais.^[11][5]
• 1762 – The Académie settles on the spelling with ⟨i⟩.^[4]
• 1811 – The distilled spirit.^[2]
• 1871 – Absinthisme.^[2]
• 1915 – Absinthe is banned in France.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. Wormwood, a bitter aromatic species of artemisia.^[9][1]
2. Absinthe, a strong green spirit flavoured with this plant.^[9][1]
3. (literary) Bitterness.^[7][4]

Related words

• armoise
• Latin absinthium
• English absinthe

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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 d e f g h Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b c d e f g 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
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 52b
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
11. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse