boisson

Forms

boisson f (countable and uncountable, plural boissons)^[1] Middle French also boiçon;^[2] Picard boichon.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin bibitiō (“the act of drinking”), recorded from the 7th century, from bibitum, the supine of bibō (“to drink”).^[4][5][6][7] The middle /b/, being in an unstressed syllable, dropped out.^[3] Bloch and Wartburg note that the word exists only in French.^[6] Littré had first taken it for a formation on boire after the model of poison.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record is in Robert de Blois's Beaudous, in the third quarter of the 13th century, meaning any liquid that is drunk.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

In Middle French it meant both a drink in general and the act of drinking.^[2][1] The narrower sense “alcoholic drink” is recorded by Cotgrave in 1611, which led to the sense “the habit of drinking to excess”, found in Rousseau's Confessions (before 1778), as in s'adonner à la boisson and pris de boisson.^[4][5] Quebec French says être en boisson for “to be drunk”, and in the French Antilles the word is used for a liqueur or sweet wine, as distinct from rum.^[5] Littré also records a cheap drink made by pouring water over grape marc or cut fruit, and the sailors' mix of water and a little vinegar.^[3]

Timeline

• 1250–1275 – First record, in Robert de Blois's Beaudous.^[4]
• 1611 – Cotgrave records the sense “alcoholic drink”.^[4][5]
• Before 1778 – Rousseau uses it for the habit of heavy drinking.^[4][5]
• 1858 – The familiar verb boissonner “to drink heavily” appears.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A drink, any liquid that is drunk: une boisson chaude, une boisson gazeuse.^[8][9][10]
2. An alcoholic drink: un débit de boissons, a bar.^[10][11]
3. The habit of drinking alcohol to excess, drunkenness: s'adonner à la boisson.^[10][4]
4. Être pris de boisson: to be drunk.^[9][11][5]
5. (Quebec) Être en boisson: to be drunk.^[5]

Related words

• boire
• breuvage
• Latin bibō

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Dictionnaire du Moyen Français, version 2015 (DMF 2015), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/dmf
3. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ a b c d e f g 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 f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse