aisance

Forms

aisance f (plural aisances)^[1] Old French aiesance (13th century) and aysance (15th century).^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin adiacentia (“surroundings”),^[2][3][4][1] the substantivized neuter plural of adiacēns, the present participle of adiaceō (“to lie near”).^[2][3] The Latin word, found from Pliny in the 1st century, became a feminine singular in the 5th century and took the sense “good disposition”, as in Augustine.^[2][3] Its development ran ahead of, and parallel to, that of aise and its adjective.^[3] Picoche places it in the family of iaceō (“to lie”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1284, in a cartulary of Saint-Maur, meaning the outbuildings and grounds that go with a house.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Like aise in Old French, the word first meant the dependencies of a house, then access to it and free space around a building (1524), a sense kept in special uses into the 19th century, such as chemin d'aisance (1768).^[3] Of this sense, and of the old meanings “common land” and “right of use”, only the latrines remain: the singular aisance in 1557, the plural in Nicot (1606), then cabinet d'aisances (1771) and lieu d'aisance (1783), today lieux d'aisances.^[2][3] Littré follows Laborde in deriving this use from sales contracts listing a house with its aisances et appartenances.^[6]

The modern senses are figurative.^[3] In the 13th century aiesance meant the convenience of having something at one's disposal; about 1459 Meschinot uses aysance of the wealth that makes life comfortable, and in 1606 Nicot records aisance de langage, natural ease without visible effort.^[2] In law aisance is a servitude, a charge on one property for the benefit of a neighbouring one.^[2][6]

Timeline

• 1284 – “Dependency of a house”, in a cartulary of Saint-Maur.^[2]
• 13th century – Aiesance “convenience” in the French translation of William of Tyre.^[2]
• c. 1459 – Meschinot uses aysance of comfortable means.^[2]
• 1557 – The singular is used for a privy.^[2]
• 1606 – Nicot records the plural aisances “privy” and aisance de langage.^[2]
• 1611 – Cotgrave records the plural for “conveniences”.^[7]
• 1771 – Cabinet d'aisances.^[3]
• 1783 – Lieu d'aisance.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. ease, natural facility of movement, manner or speech, without visible effort.^[8][7][1]
2. Comfortable means, a financial situation that makes life easy: vivre dans l'aisance.^[8][7][6]
3. (in the plural) Lieux d'aisances, fosse d'aisances: a privy, a cesspit.^[8][6]
4. (law) A servitude on a property for the benefit of a neighbour: aisances de voirie, the rights of residents on a public road.^[8][2][6]

Related words

• aise
• aisé
• adjacent
• Latin adiacentia

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 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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
6. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert