aisselle

Forms

aisselle f (plural aisselles)^[1] Old French asaile (1165), eixele (after 1170) and aisselle (1204).^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French aisele, inherited from Vulgar Latin *axella, for Latin axilla (“armpit”).^[2][3][4][1] The Latin word is a diminutive formed on the stem ⟨aks-⟩ that is also behind āla, first the joint of the wing or arm, then “wing”; the division of senses gave French both aile and this word.^[2][3]

Cognate with Italian ascella and Occitan aissela.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as asaile in Aliscans (1165), for the hollow under the arm, where the hero holds his club.^[2] The GLLF and the Petit Robert date it to Chrétien de Troyes (1175).^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

The modern form aisselle is found in the Renclus de Moiliens in 1204.^[2] In the 17th century the word was extended by analogy to botany, for the angle between a leaf and the stem.^[3][7] Its other figurative uses are rare and technical.^[3]

Timeline

• 1165 – Asaile in Aliscans.^[2]
• After 1170 – Eixele in Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Chronique des ducs de Normandie.^[2]
• 1204 – Aisselle in the Renclus de Moiliens.^[2]
• 17th century – The botanical sense.^[3][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. The armpit, the hollow under the joint of the arm and the shoulder.^[7][8]
2. (botany) The axil, the angle between a leaf or branch and the stem.^[7][8]

Related words

• aile
• axe
• essieu
• Latin axilla

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)