Etymologically
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bruit

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bʁɥi/[1]

Forms

bruit m (plural bruits)[1]

Etymology

It is a noun formed from the verb bruire (“to make a noise, roar”), on the model of Vulgar Latin *brūgitum, the neuter past participle of *brūgō.[2][3][4] The GLLF instead derives it from Latin rugītus (“roaring”) influenced by “bruire”, and the FEW files it under “rūgītus”.[5][6] Wiktionary compares Spanish ruido and Portuguese ruído.[1]

“Bruire” comes from a Vulgar Latin verb seen in “brugit” (7th century), said of a stag's belling; it is a cross between rugiō (“to roar”) and *bragō, the source of braire.[2][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gaimar uses it about 1138 in the sense “renown, fame”; the sense “sound of voices without distinct words” follows in 1155, and “sound, din” in general by 1165–1170.[5][2][3] An early example from Roncevaux: Grans fu li bruiz de la gent paganie (“great was the din of the pagan host”).[8]

Semantic evolution

The old sense of renown led to “stir, sensation”, especially in faire du bruit (before 1648) and, in classical French, faire grand bruit de quelque chose (1669).[2] After the use of bruire as a verb of speech, bruit also came to mean a piece of news going round, a rumour (late 14th century), a sense the noun kept after the verb lost it.[2][5] À petit bruit “quietly, discreetly” is in the Satyre Ménippée (1594).[9]

The acoustic distinction between bruit and son, irregular vibrations as against musical sound, is made in the 17th century (1690), and in the 20th century the word was applied to anything that interferes with a signal.[2][4] English borrowed it as bruit “rumour, report” in the mid-15th century.[10]

Timeline

  • c. 1138 – “Renown”, in Gaimar.[5][2]
  • 1155 – A sound of voices.[2]
  • 1165–1170 – Any sound, din.[2]
  • late 14th century – “Rumour, news going round”.[2][5]
  • mid-15th century – English bruit “rumour”.[10]
  • 1594 – À petit bruit in the Satyre Ménippée.[9]
  • before 1648 – Faire du bruit “to cause a stir”.[2]
  • 1690 – Defined acoustically, as opposed to musical sound.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A noise, a sound, especially one made of irregular vibrations: le bruit de la pluie, un bruit de pas.[4][11]
  2. Noise as a whole, din, as opposed to music or silence: lutter contre le bruit.[11][12]
  3. An unexpected sound in a machine: il y a un bruit dans le moteur.[11]
  4. A rumour, a piece of news going round: le bruit court que….[11][8]
  5. Stir, fuss, public attention: faire du bruit, faire grand bruit.[5][11]
  6. Bruit de fond: background noise.[12]
  7. Sans bruit, à petit bruit: silently, discreetly, à grand bruit: noisily.[5]

Word family

  • antibruit
  • bruitage
  • bruiter
  • bruiteur
  • bruitiste
  • ébruiter
  • bruire
  • bruyant
  • rugir
  • braire
  • English bruit

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 550b
  7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  11. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  12. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)