archaïque

Forms

archaïque (plural archaïques)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French archaïsme + -ique.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Compare Late Latin archaicus, itself from Ancient Greek ἀρχαϊκός (arkhaïkós, “antique, old-fashioned”);^[2][5] Wiktionary takes the French word straight from the Late Latin one.^[1] The noun archaïsme is from ἀρχαϊσμός (arkhaïsmós), derived from ἀρχαῖος (arkhaîos, “ancient”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1776, in the Supplement to the Encyclopédie, in the phrase dictionnaire archaïque, a dictionary of archaisms; the TLFi calls it an isolated record.^[2][7][4]

Semantic evolution

After its isolated first use meaning “antique”, the adjective was recorded by the Académie's supplement in 1838 for what has to do with archaism, and specialized, after archaïsme, in the description of language.^[2][7] In architecture and art history it was used from the 19th century (1852, Gautier) for the stages before a style reaches its classical form, first of Greek art.^[2][7] It passed into fairly common use in the sense “outdated, old-fashioned”, and took special values in psychology and the natural and human sciences, for what belongs to a very early stage of a process.^[7][8] A noun use is recorded in 1944.^[2]

Timeline

• 1776 – Dictionnaire archaïque in the Supplement to the Encyclopédie.^[2][4]
• 1838 – Recorded by the Académie in the sense “relating to archaism”.^[2][7]
• 1852 – Théophile Gautier applies it to architecture.^[2]
• 1944 – First used as a noun.^[2]
• 1950 – Used in psychoanalysis.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of a word or construction: belonging to an earlier period than the one in which it is used, archaistic.^[9][4][6]
2. No longer in use, outdated, désuet: des outils archaïques.^[9][4][10]
3. (fine arts) Belonging to the period before the classical age of a style: la sculpture grecque archaïque.^[9][11][10]
4. (psychology) Belonging to a very early stage of a process.^[7][2]

Related words

• archaïsme
• archaïsant
• English archaic

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
7. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette