arbalète

Forms

arbalète f (plural arbalètes)^[1] Old French arbaleste, from the Chanson de Roland on, and arbalestre, usual until the 16th century; another variant, erbalète, has also disappeared.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French arbaleste, inherited from Late Latin arcuballista, a word used by Vegetius and a compound of arcus (“bow”) and ballista (“throwing engine”).^{[2][4][3][1][5]} The ⟨c⟩ of the first element was lost in Old French.^[2] The variant arbalestre arose by assimilation, as registre did beside regesta,^[2] and the Grand Robert links it to Late Latin balistra.^[3]

Cognate with Old Occitan arbalesta and archaic Italian arcobalestro; the southern languages mostly use forms of the second element: balestra, Spanish ballesta.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (1080) arbaleste is the crossbow from which a bolt is shot.^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

The weapon was used until the 16th century; the word survived as a historical term and was taken up again, like arc, for a sport, probably in the mid-19th century.^[2] It also named small bows for children (1544) and, jokingly, the penis (1531); in First World War slang it meant a rifle.^[2]

By likeness of shape it came to name a beam (1287), various technical instruments,^[2] the old cross-staff used to measure the height of a star,^[8][7] and, in slang, a woman's neck cross, the slack crossbow having the shape of a cross.^[8] A horse en arbalète is harnessed alone in front of the two shaft horses.^[8][7][6]

Timeline

• 1080 – Arbaleste appears in the Chanson de Roland.^[2][6]
• 12th century – The derivative arbalestrier “crossbowman” appears.^[2][4]
• 1287 – The form aubelestre names a beam.^[2]
• 1531 – Joking use for the penis.^[2]
• 1544 – Arbellette names a child's bow.^[2]
• 1836 – Vidocq records the slang sense “neck cross”.^[8]
• 1915–1918 – Soldiers' slang uses it for a rifle.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A crossbow, a bow of steel mounted on a stock and drawn by a mechanism.^[9][8]
2. The sport or game of crossbow shooting: tir à l'arbalète.^[6][8][9]
3. En arbalète: of a horse, harnessed alone in front of the two shaft horses.^[8][7]
4. (historical, astronomy, navigation) A cross-staff for measuring the height of a star.^[8][7][1]
5. (slang, dated) A neck cross worn as jewellery.^[8]
6. (skiing) A T-bar lift.^[1]

Word family

• arbalétrier

Related words

• arc
• baliste
• Latin arcuballista

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 25, 109b
6. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert