aride

Forms

aride (plural arides)^[1] The inherited Old French adjective was are, arre “dry” (12th–16th century).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin āridus (“dry, parched”),^{[2][3][5][1][6]} from āreō (“to be dry”).^[3][5][4] The Latin word had already given Old French are, arre by sound change, probably through a shortened Vulgar Latin form;^[2][4] the learned word replaced this popular adjective, which was still current in the 16th century and survives in some dialects, among them Poitevin.^[3] Old Occitan had arre.^[3] From this adjective came a verb arir (“to dry”) (about 1280), the source of Middle French ari (“dry”) (1538).^[2][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Guillaume de Machaut uses it in 1360 for land without moisture.^[8][9][3] Rey dates the first record to about 1370 and the Grand Robert to 1369.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

The word went from the idea of dryness to that of barrenness, the absence of vegetation, and was later specialized in climatology.^[2][9] Figuratively it described what lacks charm or interest (1668), an unproductive mind or author (1680) and, since the early 17th century, a person without feeling.^[2][10] Rey links these uses to successive borrowings from Latin.^[2] aridité, borrowed from āriditās, is recorded once in 1120 and again from 1549.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 1360 – Guillaume de Machaut uses aride.^[8][9]
• 1549 – aridité is borrowed again.^[2]
• 16th century – Are and arre are still current.^[3][2]
• 1636 – aridement is first recorded.^[2]
• 1668 – First figurative use, of what lacks charm.^[2]
• 1680 – It is used of an unproductive mind.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Lacking moisture, dry: un sol aride.^[9][10][4]
2. Bearing no vegetation for lack of water, barren;^[9][8] climat aride, a climate with very little rainfall.^[9][8]
3. (figurative) Without feeling or imagination, unproductive: esprit aride, âme aride.^[9][8][4]
4. (figurative) Lacking interest or appeal, dry: une matière aride.^[9][10]
5. (natural history) Of a surface that feels dry and rough to the touch.^[4]

Word family

• aridité

Related words

• Latin āridus

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 l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 25, 216b
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 19, 10b
8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c 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