borne

Forms

borne f (plural bornes)^[1] Old French bodne (about 1121), bone (1200–1220), bosne (about 1280); borne is first found about 1180.^[2][3] Bloch and Wartburg date the form bourne to 1178.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French bodne, inherited from Medieval Latin bodina (“boundary stone or post”), a word probably of Gaulish origin, recorded as butina in the Ripuarian Law (first half of the 7th century) and with /d/ in 831–832.^[2][5][6] Bloch and Wartburg take it from Gaulish *bodina rather than from a form with /t/, since Old Occitan bozola supposes a form with /d/, but note that the word has no support in the Celtic languages;^[4] Picoche allows a Germanic origin as well.^[7]

The regular development was to bone and bonne.^[2][8] According to Rey, the modern form is the Picard one, the dialect in which the group /dn/ became /rn/, and it spread to the whole language;^[2] Bloch and Wartburg suggest instead that it came from bosne by a change of /s/ to /r/ before a consonant.^[4] The older form survives in abonner, first “to fix the bounds”.^[4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

As bodne (about 1121) it meant a stone or post marking the boundary of a piece of land.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In the plural, bornes came to mean the limits of a territory, and figuratively limits or an end (1200–1220); Furetière (1690) records passer les bornes “to go too far” and sans bornes “boundless”.^[2] From 1680 a borne was also a stone set up as a guard against carts at doors and walls, and later the borne kilométrique on the roads (1867), whence the familiar borne “kilometre” (1926).^[2][3]

In electricity it has named the terminal of an apparatus to which a wire is attached (1863).^[2] In modern use it also names public devices such as a fire hydrant (borne d'incendie) and an interactive terminal.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1121 – Bodne is first recorded.^[2][3]
• c. 1180 – The form borne appears.^[2][3]
• 1200–1220 – Bone, and the plural in the sense “limits”.^[2]
• 1680 – A guard stone at doors and walls.^[2]
• 1690 – Furetière records passer les bornes and sans bornes.^[2]
• 1863 – An electrical terminal.^[2]
• 1867 – Borne kilométrique.^[2]
• 1926 – Familiar borne “kilometre”.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A stone or other marker fixing the boundary of a field or property.^[3][9]
2. A post or bollard used as a marker or guard;^[3][9] borne kilométrique, a kilometre stone, borne milliaire, a Roman milestone.^[3][9]
3. A public device or terminal: borne d'incendie, borne interactive.^[3]
4. (familiar) A kilometre.^[3][2]
5. Bornes (plural): limits;^[1][2] dépasser les bornes, to go too far;^[1][2] sans bornes, boundless.^[1][2]
6. (electricity) A terminal of an apparatus.^[2]
7. Rester planté comme une borne: to stand stock-still.^[3][9]

Word family

• borne-fontaine
• borner
• aborner
• abonner
• bornage

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 1, 465a
7. ^ a b Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse