côtoyer

Forms

côtoyer^[1] Old French costeier, costoier, costier.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from French côte + -oyer.^[2][1][5] Rey ties it to the noun in the sense “side, flank”, since it first meant going side by side with someone.^[6] The noun comes from Latin costa (“rib, flank, side”).^[7][8][9]

Compare Italian costeggiare.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 1131 the Couronnement de Louis has Tote Bretaigne commence a costoier (“he begins to sail along the whole coast of Brittany”), the sense “to go along the coasts”.^[2][3] The Chanson de Roland already has costeïr for placing someone at one's side.^[3]

Semantic evolution

In the 12th century the verb also meant to walk beside someone: in Chrétien de Troyes's Chevalier de la charrette the maiden le chevalier de près costoie (“rides close beside the knight”).^[3][10] It soon meant to go along anything, such as a river bank or a road.^[6][3] Its sense of being in contact with people dates from 1606 according to Rey,^[6] while the Larousse dates that sense to the 20th century and gives 1606 (Nicot) for a thing lying along another.^[10] The figurative sense “to come close to something without reaching it”, as in côtoyer le ridicule, is from 1845.^[6][10] The nautical sense “to coast” has become dated, but it still colours the other uses.^[6]

Richelet noted a pronunciation côteier, since abandoned.^[3] The derivatives côtoiement (Hugo, 1862) and côtoyeur (Rollinat, 1883) are late.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1131 – Costeier “to go along the coasts” appears in the Couronnement de Louis.^[2]
• c. 1175 – Chrétien de Troyes uses it for going beside someone.^[10]
• 1606 – Nicot's dictionary records a new sense.^[6][10]
• 1845 – The figurative côtoyer le ridicule is recorded.^[6]
• 1862 – Hugo uses côtoiement in Les Misérables.^[2]
• 1883 – Rollinat uses côtoyeur.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (dated) To walk side by side with someone;^[11][3][2] côtoyer une armée, to march along its flank.^[11][3][2]
2. To rub shoulders with, be in frequent contact with people; reciprocal se côtoyer.^[11][1]
3. To go along, skirt or border something: côtoyer un canal.^[11][3]
4. (figurative) To come close to, border on: côtoyer le ridicule.^[11][6]
5. (nautical, rare) To sail along a coast.^[1][3]

Word family

• côtoiement

Related words

• côte
• côté
• accoster
• coteau
• côtier
• Latin costa

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 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
9. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1245a
10. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
11. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert