aragne

Forms

aragne f (plural aragnes)^[1] Old French araigne, iraigne and iregne, among many other spellings.^[2][3][4] Araigne and areigne were also written in later French.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French araigne, inherited from Latin arānea (“spider's web”).^[1][2][3][6] In Latin the animal itself was arāneus; the word for the web came to name the spider, much as French araignée, first “spider's web”, later took over the sense of the older word.^[6][3] Rey thinks the Latin word is probably related to Ancient Greek ἀράχνη (arákhnē, “spider”).^[3]

Italian keeps the old distinction, with Italian ragna for the web and ragno for the spider, while Spanish araña names the animal.^[6][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Forms such as iregne are found from the early 12th century, naming the spider itself.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In Old French araigne, aragne was the name of the spider, and the derivative araignée meant its web.^[3][6] From the 16th century araignée came to name the animal (1549) and gradually replaced the simple word, which La Fontaine still used for the spider and Voltaire in 1745.^[3][6] Aragne lived on in the dialects and is still found in central French in the 19th century;^[3] the Occitan dialects say toile aragne for the web.^[3]

The word also named things that look like a web or a spider's legs: a net for birds (araigne, 1565), an iron grating (areigne, 1386),^[3] and in technical language a many-branched iron hook used to fish buckets out of a well or by butchers to hang meat.^[7][5]

Timeline

• early 12th century – Iregne and similar forms appear, naming the spider.^[2][3]
• 1386 – Areigne is used for an iron grating.^[3]
• 1549 – The derivative araignée begins to name the animal, slowly driving out aragne.^[3]
• 1565 – Araigne is used for a bird net.^[3]
• 1745 – Voltaire still uses the old word for the spider.^[6]
• 1881 – Rigaud's slang dictionary records it as a butcher's meat hook.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. (archaic) A spider; the old word for araignée.^[7][1][8]
2. (technical) An iron hook with several branches, used to pull buckets out of a well or by butchers to hang meat.^[7][5]

Related words

• araignée
• musaraigne
• Latin arānea

Usage notes

L'universelle aragne “the universal spider” was a nickname given to Louis XI by his enemies.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Godefroy, Frédéric (1881–1902), Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle, 10 vols., Paris: Vieweg / Bouillon
5. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d 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
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette