Etymologically
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bouton

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bu.tɔ̃/[1]

Forms

bouton m (plural boutons)[1] Old French boton, bouton.[2][1]

Etymology

It is formed from bouter (“to push, thrust”), as is bout,[3][4][5][6][7] the bud being what the plant pushes out, as “pousse” is from “pousser”.[3] The verb is from Frankish *bōtan (“to strike, push”), compare Old Norse bauta (“to strike”).[5] Wiktionary gives instead a Vulgar Latin noun “*bautō”, from a Frankish “*bautō” “knob, bump”.[1]

Italian bottone and Spanish botón are borrowed from French.[1] English button is from the Old French and Anglo-Norman “boton”.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first meant a bud (1160–1185);[3][4] in Roncevaux (12th century) it is already a thing of no value: ne vaut mie un boton.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In 1236 it named an unopened flower, as in bouton de rose, and plant names such as bouton-d'or.[3] By likeness it named, very early (1170–1171), a small round piece used to fasten a garment;[3] boutonner “to button” (1344), déboutonner (1420) and boutonnière (1383) followed.[3][5] Boutons de manchette dates from 1876 (Zola).[3]

From the 14th century it was also a knob for gripping things (1380), a door handle (1471), and in the 20th century an electric push-button.[3] Since 1530 it has named a pimple on the skin, whence boutonneux (1863) and donner des boutons à qqn “to make someone's skin crawl”.[3][5] Molière's serrer le bouton à qqn, from the button of a bridle, meant “to keep a tight rein on”.[3]

Timeline

  • 1160–1185 – Bouton “bud”.[3]
  • 1170–1171 – A button on a garment.[3]
  • 1236 – A flower bud.[3]
  • 1344 – Boutonner.[3]
  • 1380 – A knob.[3]
  • 1471 – A door knob.[3]
  • 1530 – A pimple.[3]
  • 1876 – Boutons de manchette in Zola.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A button on a garment: recoudre un bouton, boutons de manchette: cufflinks.[6][9]
  2. A knob, handle: bouton de porte.[9][6]
  3. A switch, push-button: appuyer sur le bouton, (computing) a button on a screen.[9]
  4. (botany) A bud; a flower bud: rose en bouton.[6][10]
  5. A pimple, spot: bouton d'acné, bouton de fièvre.[6][1]
  6. Donner des boutons à qqn: to make someone sick, get on someone's nerves.[6][10]

Word family

  • boutonner
  • déboutonner
  • boutonnière
  • boutonneux
  • bouton-d'or
  • bouton-pression

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 15/1, 222a
  8. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  9. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)