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cervelle

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Etymology and origin of the French word cervelle

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100 Chanson de Roland More words from the 11th century
Inherited from
Latin cerebella via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin cerebellum

Pronunciation

  • /sɛʁ.vɛl/[1]
  • Louisiana: /sær.vɛl/[1]
  • Louisiana: /sar.vɛl/[1]

Forms

cervelle f (plural cervelles)[1] Old French cervele.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French cervele, inherited from Latin cerebella, the plural of cerebellum (“small brain”), taken as a feminine singular.[2][3][4][5] Littré notes that such a change of a neuter plural into a feminine singular is not rare in the Romance languages.[6] The singular gave cerveau.[1][7]

The plural form also survives in Occitan cervela.[6][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as cervele in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100), meaning the substance of the brain: Et la cervele lui chet as piez “and his brains fall at his feet”.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

At first a synonym of Old French cervel (now cerveau), it also meant reason and intelligence (1223), and then, from the 16th century, as in d'Aubigné in 1630, a person seen from the point of view of intelligence.[4][2] It later took on a diminutive, slighting colouring, as in cervelle d'oiseau and tête sans cervelle.[4][7]

Unlike cerveau and cervelet, it is not a scientific term; for the organ itself it is used mainly of animals, especially in cooking (1690).[4][2]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Cervele appears in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • 1223 – Gautier de Coinci uses it for the seat of thought.[2][4]
  • 1630 – D'Aubigné uses it for a person of a certain intelligence.[2]
  • 1690 – Furetière records the culinary sense.[2][9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The substance of the brain: se faire sauter la cervelle “to blow one's brains out”.[7][9]
  2. (cooking) The brain of a slaughtered animal as food, brains: une cervelle d'agneau.[7][1]
  3. The mind, the mental faculties: se creuser la cervelle “to rack one's brains”, tête sans cervelle “a scatterbrain”.[7][9]
  4. (archaic) A person considered for his intelligence.[2]

Word family

  • écervelé

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 602a
  6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Cervelle.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/cervelle. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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