Etymologically
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boîte

Etymology and origin of the French word boîte

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1150 (boiste)
Inherited from
Latin *buxita via Old French
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (πύξος)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bwat/[1]
  • IPA: /bwɛːt/[1]

Forms

boîte f (plural boîtes)[1] Old French boiste (about 1150), also boete, bouette; the spelling boëte is still found in Balzac.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French boiste, inherited from Vulgar Latin *buxita, a Gallo-Roman form of Late Latin buxida (4th–5th century) with a change of suffix.[2][5][6][7] “Buxida” is the accusative of “buxis”, an altered form of Latin pyxis (“small box, casket”), perhaps under the influence of buxus (“box tree”) (whence buis).[2][6] The Latin word, at first the name of a precious object, was borrowed from Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís, “box made of boxwood”), from πύξος (púxos, “box tree”), itself probably a loanword.[2][5]

Compare Old Occitan boissa and Italian bossolo.[5] German Büchse and English box go back to the same Latin family.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Boiste is found about 1150 and in Wace (1155), meaning a container with a lid; a small casket is recorded in 1177.[2][9]

Semantic evolution

The precious overtones of the Latin word passed to the diminutive boistelette and later to coffret and écrin.[2] Fixed phrases name its use: boiste à porter lettres (1352), then boîte aux lettres (1835).[2] In anatomy it named the socket of a joint (1314), the source of boiteux (1226), and later boîte crânienne (1833); in mechanics the case of a watch (1723).[2][5]

As a building it appears in the 15th century in boiste aux cailloux “prison”; in familiar French it means a workplace (1860), a school (1868) and a boîte de nuit (1918).[2] Mettre en boîte “to tease” (1910) comes from emboîter (1880).[2] C'est dans la boîte “it's in the can” is cinema slang (1952), and boîte noire a flight recorder (1965).[10][2]

Timeline

  • c. 1150 – Boiste.[2][6]
  • 1226 – The derivative boiteux.[5]
  • 1314 – The socket of a joint.[2]
  • 1352 – Boiste à porter lettres.[2]
  • 15th century – Boiste aux cailloux, a prison.[2][3]
  • 1835 – Boîte aux lettres.[2]
  • 1860 – A workplace.[2]
  • 1910 – Mettre en boîte.[2]
  • 1918 – Boîte de nuit.[2]
  • 1965 – Boîte noire.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A box, a rigid container, usually with a lid; its contents: boîte en carton, boîte à outils, une boîte de chocolats.[8][11][9]
  2. A tin, can: boîte de conserve, haricots en boîte.[8][1]
  3. Boîte aux lettres: a letterbox, postbox, boîte postale, a post office box.[9][2]
  4. A hollow casing or part: boîte crânienne, boîte de vitesses, boîte noire.[2][1]
  5. (familiar) A firm, office, workplace; a school.[2][1]
  6. (familiar) A nightclub: aller en boîte.[2][1]
  7. (familiar) Mettre en boîte: to tease, make fun of.[8][2]

Word family

  • boîtier
  • boîtelette
  • boiter
  • boiteux
  • emboîter
  • déboîter
  • ouvre-boîtes

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g 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 v w x y Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 649b
  8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Boîte.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/bo%C3%AEte. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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