belvédère

Forms

belvédère m (plural belvédères)^[1] In the 19th century it was also written belveder.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian belvedere,^[3][4][5][6] a compound of bello (“beautiful”) and vedere (“to see”), literally “fine view”.^[7][4][5] Bloch and Wartburg compare French belle vue.^[4] The Italian word corresponds to French beau and voir.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1512, in Jean Lemaire de Belges,^[2][4] for a pavilion built where the view is pleasant or wide.^[5]

Semantic evolution

By extension it came to mean any place, terrace or platform with a commanding view.^[5][8] In some regions it was also used from 1536 for a plant of the rose family, again after Italian belvedere, in the sense “beautiful to look at”, also called belle-à-voir.^[5][1] The name is familiar from the Belvedere of the Vatican, in the phrase l'Apollon du Belvédère.^[3] English belvedere (1590s) was borrowed from Italian.^[9]

Timeline

• 1512 – Jean Lemaire de Belges uses the word.^[2][4]
• 1536 – It is used regionally for a plant.^[5]
• 1590s – English borrows belvedere from Italian.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. (architecture) A small pavilion or terrace on top of a building or on high ground, from which there is a wide view.^[3][8][2]
2. By extension, a place or platform with a wide view, a viewpoint.^[8][5]
3. A plant also called belle-à-voir.^[1][5]

Related words

• beau
• voir
• Italian belvedere

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 428b
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com