armature

Forms

armature f (plural armatures)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin armātūra (“armour, armed troops”),^[2][3][4][1] a derivative of armō (“to arm”),^[2][5][6] from arma (“arms”).^[3] It is a learned word, used first in medieval Latin as an architectural term;^[4] the inherited form of the same Latin word is armure, its doublet.^[1][7] Rey notes that the Latin word passed into most Romance languages.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert date it to 1282, as a term of architecture, from Arveiller's findings;^[3][8] in the 13th century it named the framework, the centring on which a vault is built.^[4]

Semantic evolution

At the start of the 16th century the word was taken up again in the sense “armour, weapon”, and figuratively “what protects”; this use, frequent in the 16th century, did not last.^[4][2][6]

Towards the end of the 17th century it took on technical senses matching the verb armer and sometimes armure: a set of parts holding together a structure or a complex object (1694, Thomas Corneille).^[4][6][2] The architectural sense of a vault's framework is recorded again in 1755.^[4] Physics gave the metal plates of a condensateur (1836) and the iron or copper plate of a magnet (1845), and the word later named the protective sheath of an undersea cable (1898).^[4][5] It was also used of natural objects in geology and palaeontology (1752).^[4]

From these technical uses came a figurative sense, what holds something together and supports it (1895).^[4][9] In music, armature de la clef is the set of sharps or flats at the clef, like armure.^[9]

Timeline

• 1282 – First record, as an architectural term.^[3][8][4]
• 16th century – Used for “armour”, a sense that soon dies out.^[4][2]
• 1694 – Thomas Corneille records the modern technical sense of a supporting framework.^[6][2][4]
• 1752 – Used in geology and palaeontology.^[4]
• 1836 – Names the metal plates of an electric condenser.^[4]
• 1845 – Names the plate applied to a magnet.^[4]
• 1895 – First figurative use for what supports or holds something together.^[4]
• 1898 – Names the protective sheath of an undersea cable.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A framework of metal or wooden parts that holds together and supports a structure, especially in carpentry and masonry; the steel bars of reinforced concrete; the frame of a lampshade or an underwired bra.^[9][8][6]
2. (sculpture) The metal armature supporting a statue or model, or the frame of a stained-glass window.^[9][6][8]
3. (physics) The metal plates of a condensateur or an électroaimant.^[8][5]
4. (figurative) What gives something its solidity and cohesion: the framework of a plot, a work or a style.^[9][8]
5. (music) The key signature, the sharps or flats placed at the clef.^[9]

Word family

• armaturé

Related words

• arme
• armer
• armure
• Latin armātūra

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 25, 269b
8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e f 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