Etymologically
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bison

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bi.zɔ̃/[1]

Forms

bison m (plural bisons, feminine bisonne)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin bison (“wild ox”), recorded from the 1st century in Seneca and Pliny,[2][3][4][1] which also passed into Ancient Greek βίσων (bísōn) (Pausanias, Oppian).[2][3] The Latin word is taken from a Germanic Proto-Germanic *wisund,[2][4][5][6] the source of Old High German wisunt (modern German Wisent), Old English wesend and Old Norse vísundr, related to Old Prussian wissambrs (“aurochs”).[2][7] Bloch and Wartburg say only that it is perhaps Germanic.[3] According to Kluge the animal was named after the strong musky smell of its mane in the rutting season, from a root also seen in the Latin source of vison and vesse.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Recorded in 1307, it named the wild ox of Europe known to the ancients, the one now called aurochs.[2][4][7] Bloch and Wartburg and the GLLF date it from the end of the 15th century.[3][8]

Semantic evolution

In the Middle Ages bison was used for the aurochs or wild ox of Europe;[7][2] with the discovery of America it came to mean above all the American “wild ox”, the buffalo of the plains, while the European species is the bison d'Europe or wisent.[7][1][5] The feminine is bisonne, rare.[5][8] In 1884 bison was also a fur used for robes.[9]

Timeline

  • 1st century – Latin bison (Seneca, Pliny).[2]
  • 1307 – First recorded in French.[2][4]
  • late 15th century – Date given by Bloch and Wartburg.[3]
  • 1884 – A fur for clothing.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A bison, a large wild ox with a humped back and shaggy mane: bison d'Amérique, the buffalo[5][1]; bison d'Europe, the wisent.[5][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
  7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF