aigu

Forms

aigu (feminine aiguë or aigüe, masculine plural aigus, feminine plural aiguës or aigües)^[1] Old French agu, agut, agud in the Chanson de Roland;^[2][3][4] aigu appears in the 13th century but only prevails in the 16th.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle French aigu, inherited from Latin acūtus (“sharp, pointed”).^[5][1][6][4] The regular Old French outcome of the Latin word was eü, kept in the place name Le Montheu, recorded as Mons acutus in 879.^[5][4] This form was too slight and was replaced by Old French agu, probably remade after the Latin.^[5][4][2]

The spelling ⟨ai-⟩ is found from the 13th century.^[5] The TLFi explains it either as a crossing with aigre or, more probably, by the influence of aiguiser (from *acūtiō), as with aiguille and aiguillon.^[5] Bloch and Wartburg prefer the crossing, since the old and the new form both often meant “sour” from the 13th to the 16th century.^[4][3] Rey also cites Guiraud's popular Latin *acuutus.^[2][7]

The Latin adjective is the past participle of acuō (“to sharpen”),^[8] and belongs with acus (“needle”) and ācer (“sharp”).^[2] Cognate with Italian acuto, Spanish agudo, Portuguese agudo, Catalan agut and Occitan agut.^[9][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) agut describes a pointed helmet and pointed spurs, in the sense “ending in a point”.^[5][8]

Semantic evolution

From the late 12th century the word was used of a keen, penetrating mind (Chrétien de Troyes, 1180–90) and of a violent fever (fievre ague in the Roman de Renart).^[5][2] In Old and Middle French it was often close in sense to aigre, and was said of violent people and of piercing, painful sounds.^[2][4] From 1548 it was also used of a witty, pointed line of verse.^[5][2]

In music it lost the notion of a harsh sound and came to mean simply high in pitch, as opposed to grave; the noun l'aigu for the high register dates from 1622.^[2] Furetière recorded the geometrical angle aigu and the grammatical accent aigu in 1690.^[5] In medicine an aigu illness is one that comes on suddenly and runs fast, as opposed to a chronic one.^[10][8]

The English word ague “acute fever” (about 1300) comes from the Old French feminine ague.^[11]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Agut is used of a pointed helmet in the Chanson de Roland.^[5]
• 1180–90 – Chrétien de Troyes uses it of a keen-witted person.^[5][2]
• 1180–90 – Fievre ague “acute fever” in the Roman de Renart.^[5]
• 13th century – The spelling aigu first appears.^[5][4]
• 16th century – Aigu prevails over agu.^[2][4]
• 1548 – Sébillet uses it of pointed, witty verse.^[5]
• 1622 – L'aigu names the high register of sounds.^[2]
• 1644 – Corneille writes of cris aigus “shrill cries”.^[5]
• 1690 – Furetière records angle aigu and accent aigu.^[5][2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Ending in a sharp point or edge, able to pierce or cut: un bec aigu, une lame aiguë.^[10][8]
2. (geometry) Of an angle, smaller than a right angle: angle aigu.^[10][5]
3. Of a sound, high-pitched, shrill: une voix aiguë.^[10][8]
4. (grammar) Accent aigu: the acute accent, as on é.^[10][8]
5. Of pain, intense and piercing.^[10][8]
6. (medicine) Of a disease, sudden and fast-moving, as opposed to chronique.^[10][8]
7. (figurative) Keen and penetrating, of the mind: un sens aigu des affaires.^[10][5]

Noun

1. L'aigu: the high register of a voice or instrument.^[10][2]

Word family

• subaigu
• suraigu

Related words

• aiguiser
• aiguille
• aiguillon
• aigre
• acuité
• Latin acūtus
• English acute

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 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 e f g h i Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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. 24, 128a
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com