autruche

Forms

autruche f (plural autruches)^[1] Old French ostruce (1130 to the 16th century) and ostriche (13th century); Middle French austruce (15th century), austruche or oustruche (1515), then autruche (1556).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French ostruce, altered and refashioned after Latin, inherited from Vulgar Latin *austrūthiō.^[2][1][3][4] Rey calls the Old French word a borrowing from Vulgar Latin, and Bloch and Wartburg note that its development is irregular because the word was neither popular nor in everyday use.^[2][5] The Vulgar Latin word is a compound of avis (“bird”) and strūthiō (“ostrich”).^[2][5][6] The Latin word, used by Pliny, was borrowed from Ancient Greek στρουθίων (strouthíōn),^[1][2] from στρουθός (strouthós, “sparrow”), which with certain adjectives could name large birds such as the ostrich.^[2] Rey relates the Greek word to Latin turdus (“thrush”), Russian дрозд (drozd) and German Drossel.^[2]

The spelling with ⟨au-⟩ (15th century) follows the Latin; the ending ⟨-uche⟩ (1515), taken from ostriche, may have been prompted by Italian struzzo, according to Arveiller, cited by Rey.^[2][3] Bloch and Wartburg see in the modern form an alteration of the Old French one by a change of suffix.^[5]

Cognate with Spanish avestruz and Old Occitan estrut, both masculine like the Italian word.^[7][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as ostruce in a translation of the Book of Job (1130):^[6][2] Ge sui freres des dragons et compains des ostrusces “I am a brother of dragons and a companion of ostriches”.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Ancient legends and observations about the bird gave avoir un estomac d'autruche (1627), “to be able to digest anything”.^[2] Ostrich feathers (plume d'autruche) were important in women's fashion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.^[2] A figurative sense “tall, stupid man” did not last.^[2]

The modern figurative uses, faire l'autruche and la politique de l'autruche “refusing to see danger or reality”, are recorded in the 20th century, after the comparison with the bird that, in the legend, hides its head in the sand.^[2][6] In 19th-century slang autruche also meant a singer's false note.^[8]

Timeline

• 1130 – Ostruce appears in a translation of the Book of Job.^[6][2]
• 13th century – The form ostriche appears.^[2]
• 15th century – The Latinizing spelling austruce.^[2]
• 1515 – Austruche or oustruche is recorded.^[2][3]
• 1556 – The form autruche is recorded.^[2][3]
• 1627 – Avoir un estomac d'autruche is recorded.^[2]
• 1881 – Rigaud's slang dictionary records it for a singer's false note.^[8]
• 20th century – Faire l'autruche and la politique de l'autruche are recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. An ostrich, the large African running bird that cannot fly, the biggest living bird: des plumes d'autruche.^[9][6]
2. Avoir un estomac d'autruche (familiar): to be able to digest anything.^[9][6]
3. Faire l'autruche, la politique de l'autruche: to refuse to face a danger or an unpleasant reality.^[6][2]
4. (slang, dated) A singer's false note.^[8]

Word family

• autruchon

Related words

• Latin strūthiō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 12, 309b
5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert