bouillon

Forms

bouillon m (plural bouillons)^[1] Old French boullon, boillon and bollon.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French bouillir + -on.^[1][4][5][3] bouillir is from Latin bulliō (“to bubble, boil”), from bulla (“bubble”).^[5][6]

The English word bouillon “broth” was taken from French in the 1650s.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is recorded about 1150 (and in the late 12th century in the Reclus de Moiliens) for the large bubbles that form in a boiling or agitated liquid.^[4][2][8]

Semantic evolution

From the 13th century it also named the liquid in which food is boiled, the broth of meat or vegetables.^[2][8] By likeness to a bubble it came to mean a twisted ornament (1360–1388), then a ruffle or puffed fold of cloth (1603), and in technical use an air bubble trapped in glass (1765) or molten metal.^[2][9]

The broth gave figurative uses: Villon already used it in a sense close to the modern boire un bouillon “to suffer a setback, lose money” (1794),^[2][10] which lies behind its use in publishing for unsold copies (1843, Balzac in 1839).^[2][10] Court-bouillon dates from 1604, bouillon d'onze heures “poisoned drink” from 1791, and bouillon de culture “culture medium” from the 19th century.^[2] In the second half of the 19th and the early 20th century a bouillon was also a cheap popular restaurant that mainly served broth.^[2][1]

Timeline

• c. 1150 – First record, for bubbles in a liquid.^[4][2]
• 13th century – Used for broth.^[2]
• 1360–1388 – Names a twisted ornament.^[2]
• 1603 – A puffed fold of cloth.^[2][9]
• 1604 – Court-bouillon is recorded.^[2]
• 1650s – The English word bouillon is borrowed.^[7]
• 1765 – An air bubble in glass.^[2]
• 1791 – Bouillon d'onze heures “poisoned drink”.^[2]
• 1794 – Boire un bouillon “to suffer a setback”.^[2]
• 1843 – Unsold copies of a publication.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A bubble rising in a boiling liquid; the boiling itself: retirer du feu au premier bouillon, bouillir à gros bouillons.^[9][11][12]
2. A gush of liquid flowing out violently: Le sang sortait à gros bouillons.^[9][12]
3. broth, stock: the liquid obtained by long boiling of meat or vegetables in salted water: un bouillon de légumes.^[12][11][2]
4. Bouillon de culture: a liquid medium for growing microorganisms, figuratively a breeding ground.^[2]
5. (sewing) A puffed fold or gathering in fabric.^[9][1]
6. (technical) An air bubble in glass, metal or enamel.^[9][12]
7. (publishing) The unsold copies of a newspaper or publication.^[12][2]
8. (dated) A cheap restaurant that originally served mainly broth.^[12][2]
9. Boire un bouillon (familiar): to lose money or suffer a setback, also to swallow water while swimming.^[2][10]

Word family

• bouillon-blanc
• bouillonnement
• bouillonner
• court-bouillon
• bouillonnage

Related words

• bouillir
• bouillie
• Latin bulla

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 v 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. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
11. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
12. ^ a b c d e f Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)