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auguste

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French has two words spelled auguste: the adjective “august”, from Latin, and the circus clown, adapted from German.[1][2]

auguste1 august

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /o.ɡyst/[2]

Forms

auguste (plural augustes)[2]

Etymology

The adjective is borrowed from Latin augustus (“consecrated by the augurs; venerable”),[3][4][1][5] which Rey derives from augur (“augur”);[3][6] Littré instead linked it with augeō (“to increase”).[7] The Latin adjective, said first of undertakings of good omen, became the title of the emperor from Octavian onwards, rendering Ancient Greek σεβαστός (sebastós);[3] it also meant “imposing, worthy of respect”.[3] The inherited doublet is août, the month named after Augustus.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1243, qualifying the name of a Roman emperor (César auguste).[3][1]

Semantic evolution

The word was rare before the 17th century.[4][6] The extended Latin sense “imposing, venerable” was taken up in the 15th century and became current in classical French,[3][8] as in Hugo's le geste auguste du semeur.[6][8] It is now literary or ironic (cette auguste assemblée).[8] As a noun with a capital, Auguste is the title of the Roman emperors.[1][9] Voltaire tried in vain to replace août by auguste.[7]

Timeline

  • 1243 – César auguste.[3]
  • 15th century – “Venerable, imposing”.[3][8]
  • 1503 – Augustement.[3]
  • 18th century – Voltaire's auguste for août.[7][1]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (literary) August, venerable, inspiring respect: une auguste assemblée.[8][9]
  2. Of princes, royal, imperial.[9][6]

Noun

  1. (Roman history) Auguste: Augustus, the title of the Roman emperors.[1][9]

auguste2 clown

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /o.ɡyst/[2]

Forms

auguste m (plural augustes)[2]

Etymology

The clown is an adaptation of a German expression, influenced by the French adjective and used by antiphrasis:[1][8] the name German August, from Latin “Augustus”, as in the German phrase “dumme August” “stupid Augustus”.[2][3] Rey connects it with the clown Tom Belling.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1898.[1][8]

Semantic evolution

In the circus the auguste, with his loud make-up and grotesque clothes, is opposed to the clown blanc;[3][8] Rey notes that the word remains technical and that most people call him simply clown.[3]

Timeline

  • 1898 – First record.[1]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (circus) An auguste, a clown with garish make-up and clumsy manners, the foil of the white clown.[8][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b 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, 906a
  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 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 Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)