Etymologically
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cabriolet

Etymology and origin of the French word cabriolet

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1755, Correspondance littéraire
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French cabriolet
English cab

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ka.bʁi.jɔ.lɛ/[1]

Forms

cabriolet m (plural cabriolets)[1]

Etymology

It is derived from cabrioler (“to caper”), because of the light carriage's bouncing motion.[2][3][4][5][6][7] The verb comes from cabriole (1562, “cabriolle”), earlier “capriole”, borrowed from Italian capriola, from “capriolare”, from “capriolo” “roe deer” (Latin capreolus); the ⟨b⟩ is due to a crossing with cabri (“kid (young goat)”).[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Correspondance littéraire (1755) has it for a light horse-drawn carriage with two wheels and a folding hood.[5][4][2]

Semantic evolution

The same year (1755–1757) it named a woman's bonnet worn at the back of the head, framing the face, and Boiste (1829) a small armchair with a curved back.[5][4][8] Delvau (1866) records a slang cabriolet for the cord tying an arrested man's wrists.[5] In 1928 Larousse used it for a car body that converts into an open car.[9][5] English cabriolet dates from 1766, and cab is short for it.[10]

Timeline

  • 1562 – Cabriolle.[2]
  • 1755 – The carriage.[5]
  • 1757 – A bonnet.[4]
  • 1766 – English cabriolet.[10]
  • 1829 – An armchair, in Boiste.[5]
  • 1866 – Slang: a cord for wrists.[5]
  • 1928 – A convertible car.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A convertible (car).[4][1]
  2. (historical) A cabriolet (light two-wheeled carriage).[4][8]
  3. (historical) A bonnet framing the face: chapeau cabriolet.[4][8]
  4. A small armchair with a curved back.[4][8]
  • coupé-cabriolet
  • cabrioler
  • cabriole
  • cabri
  • chevreuil
  • English cabriolet
  • English cab

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 305a
  8. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  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

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Cabriolet.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/cabriolet. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·