broder

Forms

broder^[1] Old French brosder and broder.^[2][3] Anglo-Norman also has brusder, broisder and broider.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French brosder, of Germanic origin.^[3][1][5] Bloch and Wartburg and the GLLF consider it probably borrowed from Frankish *bruzdōn (“to embroider”),^[6][7] and Wiktionary traces the Germanic verb to Proto-Germanic *bruzdōną.^[1]

Rey finds it hard to say whether the Old French verb, whose age is shown by Medieval Latin brusdus (“embroidery”) (about 840, in Burgundy), comes straight from Germanic: Old French may continue a Frankish verb, while the Old Provençal and Iberian forms would come from a Gothic one and Old Italian from a Lombard one.^[3][6] The Germanic forms are reconstructed from Old Norse broddr (“spike”) and Old High German brort (“point”), with its verb brortōn (“to adorn, embroider”).^[3] The Grand Robert calls the origin disputed and also reports Guiraud's derivation from a Gallo-Romance *broccidō, which would link the verb through Old French broche (“embroidery needle”) with brocher.^[8] Littré pointed instead to Celtic words such as Breton brouda (“to prick, embroider”), and mentioned an older derivation from bord, since embroidery is a border.^[9]

Cognate with Old Occitan broidar, Catalan brodar, Spanish bordar and Italian brustare.^[6][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded before 1105 as the infinitive used as a noun, brosder,^[3][8] and as a verb meaning to ornament a fabric with a design worked with the needle about 1160;^[3] the GLLF cites Marie de France (1165).^[7]

Semantic evolution

Through the metaphorical sense “to adorn, embellish” (1200–1220), the verb took the figurative sense “to amplify, enrich a subject” (1690).^[3][10] In the 20th century this is mostly used without an object, often playfully or ironically, of telling a story with invented details.^[3][11] From it come the musical sense “to add variations to a theme” and an 1887 slang sense “to sign acknowledgements of debt”.^[3][11] Littré also records broder for writing in a fine, even hand.^[9]

The agent noun brodeur is listed by Étienne Boileau in his Livre des métiers (1267–1268);^[3][6] in the figurative sense of someone who embellishes a story (1611), it was felt as a corruption of bourdeur, from bourde.^[3] broderie dates from the same years, first as brouderie.^[3]

Timeline

• before 1105 – The infinitive brosder is used as a noun.^[3][8]
• c. 1160 – Used as a verb for embroidering cloth.^[3]
• 1165 – Marie de France uses the verb.^[7]
• 1200–1220 – Metaphorical sense “to adorn, embellish”.^[3]
• 1267–1268 – Étienne Boileau lists brodeur and broderie.^[3]
• 1690 – Figurative sense “to embellish a story”.^[3][10]
• 1887 – Slang sense “to sign IOUs”.^[3][11]
• 20th century – The figurative sense is mostly used without an object.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To embroider (a fabric), to decorate it with needlework: broder un coussin.^[10][12][13]
2. To work (a design) in embroidery: broder un monogramme sur un mouchoir.^[10][13]
3. (figurative) To embellish a story with invented details;^{[10][12][13][11]} broder sur a subject, to talk at length about it with little to say.^{[10][12][13][11]}
4. (music) To add variations to a theme.^[11]
5. (slang, dated) To sign acknowledgements of debt.^[11][3]

Word family

• broderie
• brodeur
• rebroder

Related words

• bord
• brocher

Usage notes

In the 19th century the figurative sense was mostly used with an object (broder une histoire); in the 20th century the use without an object prevails.^[11][10]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Tobler, Adolf; Lommatzsch, Erhard (1925–2002), Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch, 11 vols., Berlin / Wiesbaden / Stuttgart: Weidmann / Steiner
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 15/1, 319b
6. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
12. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
13. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)