bigre

Forms

bigre (interjection; also a masculine noun)^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from French bougre, altered as a euphemism, the older word having long been felt as a sexual insult and seldom written out in full.^[4][5][2][3] Wiktionary and the Wiktionnaire compare fichtre, formed from foutre in the same way.^[1][6] The Grand Robert stresses that it is unrelated to the medieval word for a bee-keeping forest ranger (see Usage notes).^[2]

That word is borrowed from Medieval Latin Bulgarus (“Bulgarian”): the Bulgarians, members of the Greek Church, were held to be heretics.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1743, as a noun, beside the feminine bigresse.^[2][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The word is now used mostly as an interjection, from 1808,^[4] expressing surprise, disappointment, admiration or fear.^[3][7] The noun in bigre de + noun, like bougre de, is recorded in 1830.^[3][2] It gave the intensive adverb bigrement “extremely” (1861), modelled like bougrement; both words have aged.^[4][3][7]

Timeline

• 1743 – First recorded, as a noun, with the feminine bigresse.^[2][5]
• 1808 – Used as an interjection.^[4]
• 1830 – Bigre de + noun is recorded.^[3][2]
• 1861 – The adverb bigrement appears.^[4]
• 1932 – The Académie defines it as a softened form of bougre.^[8]

Meanings

Interjection

1. (dated, familiar) An exclamation of surprise, disappointment, admiration or fear; a softened form of bougre: Bigre, qu'il fait froid !^[3][7][8][9]

Noun

1. (dated, familiar) In bigre de + noun, an intensifying term of abuse: ce bigre de voisin.^[3][2]

Word family

• bigrement

Related words

• bougre
• fichtre

Usage notes

A separate bigre, a medieval forest ranger who looked for swarms of bees in the woods and gathered their honey and wax, is recorded in the 15th century and comes from Frankish *bikari, from a word for “bee”.^{[10][9][2][11]}

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
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. ^ Wiktionnaire (French Wiktionary), fr.wiktionary.org
7. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
8. ^ a b Académie française (1932–1935), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 8th ed., Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
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
11. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse