astucieux

Forms

astucieux (feminine astucieuse, masculine plural astucieux, feminine plural astucieuses)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French astuce + -eux.^[2][3][1][4] The noun is from Latin astūtia (“cunning, skill”).^[2][5] Picoche dates the adjective to the 14th century.^[5] Littré notes that the 14th century also had astus, taken directly from Latin astūtus.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1495, in a work of Jean de Vignay, in a pejorative sense.^[7][8]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century the adjective specialized in the sense “deceiving by guile”.^[8] A favourable sense is recorded as early as 1527 but seems to have been very rare, and until the 20th century the word was almost always tied to ruse, malice and harmful deceit.^[8]

In the 20th century the praising, intellectual sense developed, as with astuce, and it now tends to push out the old one.^[8] The adverb astucieusement (1532) went the same way.^[8]

Timeline

• 1495 – First recorded, in a pejorative sense.^[7][2][8]
• 1527 – A favourable sense is attested, but remains rare.^[8]
• 1532 – The adverb astucieusement appears.^[8]
• 20th century – The sense “clever, ingenious” becomes the usual one.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. clever, astute: showing fine skill and ingenuity: Ma voisine est très astucieuse.^[9][7][4]
2. Of a thing: cleverly thought out, ingenious, practical: un rangement astucieux.^[9][7]
3. (dated) crafty, wily: using guile, often to deceive or harm.^[9][10][4]

Word family

• astucieusement

Related words

• astuce
• Latin astūtia

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
5. ^ a b Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ 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