celui

Pronunciation

• IPA: /sə.lɥi/^[1]
• IPA: /sɥi/^[1]

Forms

celui m (feminine celle, masculine plural ceux, feminine plural celles)^[1] Old French had a full set of cases: masculine subject cil, object cel, dative celui; feminine cele, celi; plural cil, ceus; only celui, celle, ceux and celles survive.^[2][3] Reinforced forms such as icelui were used until the 17th century; the Académie wrote celuy in 1694.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French celui, inherited from Vulgar Latin *ecce illui, the dative of “ecce ille”, formed from Latin ecce (“behold”) and ille (“that”).^[2][4][6][1] The ending “-ui” follows the pattern of lui and of Latin “cui” “to whom”.^[1] “Ecce ille” marked distance, as opposed to “ecce iste”, which gave ce.^[2]

Compare Italian colui and Romanian acelui; southern dialects use “(a)kel”, Old Occitan aquel, formed with “eccum”.^[1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Forms of the demonstrative are found in the Séquence de sainte Eulalie (about 881); celui itself, as a pronoun followed by a relative, appears in the second half of the 10th century in the Passion of Clermont.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

In Old French these forms were both adjectives and pronouns, expressing distance from the speaker, as opposed to cist.^[5][2] Celui displaced the old subject cil and object cel, which died out in the 16th century, and, from then on was only a pronoun.^[4][7] To restore the distinction between near and far, celui-ci (1372) and celui-là (15th century) were formed.^[4][7]

Timeline

• c. 881 – Forms of the demonstrative in the Séquence de sainte Eulalie.^[5]
• 2nd half of the 10th century – Celui… cui in the Passion of Clermont.^[5]
• 1372 – Celui-ci, in Jean Corbichon.^[7][4]
• 15th century – Celui-là.^[4]
• 16th century – Cil and cel disappear.^[4]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. The one (followed by de or a relative clause): celui de mon frère, celui qui parle.^[8][1]
2. Celui-ci, celui-là: this one, that one; the latter, the former.^[7]
3. Faire celui qui: to pretend.^[8]

Word family

• celui-ci
• celui-là

Related words

• ce
• il
• lui
• Latin ille

Usage notes

In relaxed speech celui may be shortened to çui /sɥi/.^[5][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d e f 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
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d 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