acrobate

Forms

acrobate m or f by sense (plural acrobates)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀκροβάτης (akrobátēs, “acrobat”), a late learned borrowing (1751) of a word recorded in an inscription, from ἀκροβατεῖν (akrobateîn, “to walk on tiptoe”).^[2][1][3][4] The verb is a compound of ἄκρος (ákros, “high, extreme”) and a form of βαίνειν (baínein, “to walk”).^[2][4] The TLFi and Bloch–Wartburg take the French word from the related Greek adjective meaning “walking on tiptoe”.^[5][3][6]

An isolated Middle French acrebade in the Ménagier de Paris (14th century) is obscure; the TLFi asks whether it could be a popular development of the same Greek word, meaning a rope-dancer's movement.^[5][3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Encyclopédie (1751) uses it in ancient history for a kind of rope-dancer of antiquity.^[5][2][3]

Semantic evolution

In 1835 the Académie defined it generally as a rope-dancer, man or woman.^[5][3] From that sense it came (1885) to cover anyone who performs difficult feats of balance, strength or agility, at ground level or high up.^[5][2]

Figurative uses for a clever, showy person appear in the mid-19th century (1842, pejorative), when the derivatives acrobatie (1853) and acrobatique (1837) were formed.^[5][2] In popular speech it meant a removal man's helper (1901) or a wagon unloader (1930), and in zoology (1820) a small gliding marsupial.^[5][8] English borrowed acrobat in 1845.^[9]

Timeline

• 14th century – An obscure acrebade appears in the Ménagier de Paris.^[5][7]
• 1751 – The Encyclopédie uses it of an ancient rope-dancer.^[5][2]
• 1820 – Desmarest names a gliding marsupial with it.^[5][8]
• 1835 – The Académie records it as “rope-dancer”.^[5]
• 1837 – The adjective acrobatique is first recorded.^[2][3]
• 1842 – It is used figuratively, and pejoratively, of a clever person.^[5]
• 1845 – English takes up acrobat.^[9]
• 1885 – It covers any performer of feats of balance and agility.^[5][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. An acrobat: a circus or music-hall performer who does feats of balance and gymnastics, often dangerous.^[8][7][1]
2. (figurative) Often pejoratively, an extremely skilful specialist or virtuoso, or someone who tries to dazzle by tricks of skill: un acrobate du verbe.^[8][7][5]
3. (zoology) A small Australian gliding marsupial that leaps from branch to branch.^[8][5]
4. (historical) A rope-dancer of antiquity.^[5][3]

Word family

• acrobatie
• acrobatique

Related words

• funambule
• English acrobat

References

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