calquer

Forms

calquer^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian calcare, which Vasari used from 1550 for copying a model onto a surface pressed against it.^[2][3][4][1] The Italian verb, properly “to press”, comes from Latin calcō (“to tread, press”),^[2][5][4] itself from calx (“heel”).^[3] The same Latin verb gave Old French chauchier “to tread”,^[4] which Littré cites as caucher.^[6] French chausse and inculquer belong to the same Latin family.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1642, in Oudin's Italian–French dictionary, as a drawing term: to reproduce a model on a surface laid against it.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Taken from Italian as a drawing term, the verb came to mean, by 1753, to imitate closely or reproduce, sometimes in a pejorative sense.^[3][2][7] Littré records the reflexive se calquer “to model oneself”.^[6] In 1892 it was taken into linguistics for forming a word by borrowing the meaning or structure of a word of another language.^[3][2] The noun calque is recorded from 1690,^[4] and décalquer was derived from the verb in 1691 as a doublet of it.^[3]

Timeline

• 1550 – Italian calcare is used by Vasari in the drawing sense.^[2][3]
• 1642 – First recorded in French, in Oudin's dictionary.^[2][4]
• 1690 – The noun calque is recorded.^[4]
• 1753 – First figurative use, “to imitate”.^[2][3]
• 1766 – The noun calquage is recorded.^[2][3]
• 1892 – Used in linguistics.^[2][3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To trace a drawing by following its lines exactly, through transparent paper or by other means.^[8][7][1]
2. (figurative) To imitate closely or slavishly, to model one thing on another (calquer sur).^[8][7][1]
3. (linguistics) To form a word or expression as a calque of a foreign one.^[3]

Word family

• calque
• décalquer
• calquage
• calqueur

Related words

• chausse
• inculquer
• Latin calcō

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 j 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 l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
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 Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert