Etymologically
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cœur

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kœʁ/[1]
  • IPA (Canada): /kœʁ/[1]
  • IPA (Canada): [kaœ̯ʁ][1]
  • IPA (Canada): [kɶœ̯ʁ][1]

Forms

cœur m (plural cœurs)[1] Old French quor (about 1050), quer (1080), cuer and coer, with the subject case cuers, cœur is recorded in 1508.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French cuer, inherited from Latin cor (“heart”), declined in popular Latin as “*coris” instead of classical “cordis”, Wiktionary gives the accusative *corem.[5][2][6][7][1] Like Ancient Greek καρδία (kardía), the Latin word belongs to an Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd-, also found in German Herz and English heart.[2][8][4]

For the Romans, as in Greek medicine and anatomy, the heart was the seat of feelings, thought, courage, intelligence and memory, the place the liver took in other cultures; hence “par cœur” “by heart” (about 1200).[2][5] Greek medicine called the entrance of the stomach “kardía”, a name translated by Latin “cor”, which explains “avoir mal au cœur” “to feel sick” and écœurer (1642).[5]

Cognate with Italian cuore, Occitan cor, Catalan cor and Romanian cord; Spanish corazón and Portuguese coração are derivatives.[8][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1050 in the Vie de saint Alexis, both as the seat of life, Ço'st granz merveile que li mens quors tant duret “it is a great wonder that my heart lasts so long”, and as the seat of feeling.[9]

Semantic evolution

The organ itself is named in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100), which also uses the word for the chest and for a tender heart (tro avez tendre coer).[9] By extension it meant the stomach (about 1200), whence avoir mal au cœur, dire tout ce qu'on a sur le cœur (1508) and the old card-game pun coucher du cœur sur le carreau “to vomit” (1633).[9][2]

From the late 12th century it named the central part of something (el cuer de France); by likeness of shape, a heart-shaped object (1340), the suit of hearts at cards (1585) and a kind of cherry (1600).[9][2] The heart as the seat of love, courage and memory gave many phrases: par cœur (about 1200), mon cœur for a beloved person (1167–1170), joli cœur (1863) and bourreau des cœurs.[5][2][9] Old French cuer with a suffix gave courage (about 1080).[5][8]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Quors in the Vie de saint Alexis.[9]
  • c. 1100 – The bodily organ, and the chest, in the Chanson de Roland.[9]
  • 1167–1170 – Cœur of a beloved person.[9][2]
  • c. 1200 – Par cœur.[5]
  • Late 12th century – The centre of something: el cuer de France.[9]
  • 1508 – Dire tout ce qu'on a sur le cœur; the spelling cœur.[9][3]
  • 1585 – The suit of hearts.[9]
  • 1642 – Écœurer.[5]
  • 1863 – Joli cœur.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The heart, the organ that pumps the blood.[8][1]
  2. The chest, the breast: serrer quelqu'un sur son cœur.[9][2]
  3. The stomach: avoir mal au cœur, avoir le cœur au bord des lèvres.[5][2]
  4. The seat of feelings and of love; kindness: avoir bon cœur, mon cœur, a term of endearment.[2][1]
  5. courage, spirit: avoir du cœur, donner du cœur à l'ouvrage.[9][5]
  6. Par cœur: from memory.[5]
  7. The centre or core of something: le cœur de la ville, le cœur d'un réacteur.[9][1]
  8. A heart shape, (cards) hearts.[1][9]

Word family

  • contrecœur
  • haut-le-cœur
  • courage
  • encourager
  • écœurer
  • crève-cœur
  • cardiaque
  • -cardie
  • cardio-
  • cordial
  • cordiforme
  • accorder
  • miséricorde
  • Latin cor

Usage notes

The word rancœur does not belong to this family.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1170a
  8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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