accoler

Forms

accoler^[1] Old French acoler, also acoller.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French acoler, formed from Old French a- + col (“neck”).^{[2][5][6][7][8]} The noun col is from Latin collum (“neck”).^[7] The Petit Robert adds that it may continue Vulgar Latin *accollō.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Vie de saint Alexis (mid-11th century), meaning to throw one's arms around someone's neck: son mort fil detraire et acoler (“to pull at her dead son and embrace him”).^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

In Old French the verb was often paired with baiser; from the late 12th century it was also used of throwing one's arms round a thing, and in the 13th century of lovers holding each other.^[2] A thing could acoler a neck, as a stole does in the Roman de Renart (1195–1200).^[2] From the early 13th century the verb also meant figuratively “to encompass”.^[2]

As embrasser competed with it and finally replaced it for “to hold in one's arms”, the ideas of neck and arms faded and that of bringing things together took over: the meaning of the prefix won over that of the root.^[2] Technical senses followed: tying a plant to a stake (second half of the 15th century), joining two young rabbits to roast them (Richelet, 1680), joining several items of an account into one (Académie, 1694).^[2] The older sense became popular in the 18th century and is familiar and rare today.^[2][8] The derivative accolade dates from the early 16th century.^[8][7]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – Acoler appears in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[2][7][6]
• 1195–1200 – Said of a stole round the neck in the Roman de Renart.^[2]
• 1213 – The derivative accolement “embrace” is recorded.^[8]
• Second half of the 15th century – Used for tying a plant to a stake.^[2]
• 1532 – The derivative accolade is recorded.^[7]
• 1680 – Richelet records it in cooking.^[2]
• 1694 – The Académie records accoler items in an account.^[2]
• 1803 – Boiste records the sense “join with a brace”.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. (archaic) To embrace someone by throwing one's arms round the neck.^[9][2][4]
2. To join or fix things so that they touch, to put side by side: deux bureaux accolés.^[9][1]
3. Accoler la vigne: to tie a vine to its stake.^[9][4]
4. To add or join something to another: accoler un surnom à son prénom.^[9]
5. To join lines or items with a brace, in writing, printing or accounts.^[9][1][4]
6. S'accoler: to cling or be joined to each other.^[9][4]

Word family

• accolade
• accolement
• accolage

Related words

• col
• cou
• racoler
• Latin collum

Usage notes

Older French had accoler la cuisse, la botte à quelqu'un, embracing someone's thigh or boot as a sign of deep submission.^[4]

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 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. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
4. ^ a b c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert