ancillaire

Forms

ancillaire (plural ancillaires)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin ancillāris, recorded in Cicero,^[2][3][4] from ancilla (“maidservant”).^[3][4] Bloch and Wartburg and the GLLF treat it instead as a learned derivative of the noun.^[5][6] The Latin noun gave Old and Middle French ancele “maidservant”, used until the early 17th century, and Italian ancella.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It was first recorded by Boiste in 1803, in the sense “of servants”.^[2][3] Bloch and Wartburg date it to 1810 as a medical term, and the GLLF to Mozin in 1842.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

The adjective at first described what concerns maidservants, often with a pejorative tinge.^[3][2] It now survives mainly in amours ancillaires, a joking term for love affairs with servants, recorded in 1855 in Sainte-Beuve, who speaks of a man inclined, as Ménage put it, aux amours ancillaires.^[2][3] The TLFi thinks that Sainte-Beuve was probably alluding to Latin ancillariolus, a man who chases maidservants; that word gave the short-lived French ancillariole (1732).^[2][3]

Timeline

• 1803 – Boiste records it in the sense “of servants”.^[2][3]
• 1810 – Bloch and Wartburg's date, as a medical term.^[5]
• 1855 – Sainte-Beuve writes of amours ancillaires.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Relating to maidservants or to their condition, often pejorative.^[2][6]
2. (humorous) Amours ancillaires: love affairs with maidservants.^[7][2][3]

Related words

• Latin ancilla

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert