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châsse

Etymology and origin of the French word châsse

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1131, Couronnement de Louis
Inherited from
Latin capsa via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (capsa)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin capsa
French châsse

Pronunciation

Forms

châsse f (plural châsses)[1] Norman casse (about 1150), chasse; spelt châsse from 1680, and in the Académie only from 1835.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French chasse, inherited from Latin capsa (“box, case”),[2][3][4][5] which had the sense “reliquary” in Medieval Latin (about 720) and “coffin” in ecclesiastical Latin.[2][4] The Petit Robert takes the Latin word probably from capiō (“to take; to hold”).[6] It replaced the Old French synonym fiertre.[2][3]

It is a doublet of caisse and casse.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Couronnement de Louis (about 1131) names a chasce among church treasures;[7][8] Wace (about 1150) has the Norman form casse for the coffer holding a saint's relics.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Technical senses followed: the handle of a folding knife (1184), a frame holding something in place (about 1375) and, in goldsmiths' work, a glass case protecting a precious object (1285).[2][3] Richelet (1680) notes that the vowel is long, hence the circumflex.[2]

Paré comme une châsse “richly decked out” is in Beaumarchais in 1777,[9] and the Académie recorded être dorée comme une châsse in 1718.[2] A slang châsse “eye” (1833) is a back-formation from châssis used for the eyes.[3][7]

Timeline

  • c. 1131 – Chasce in the Couronnement de Louis.[7]
  • c. 1150 – Casse for a reliquary, in Wace.[2]
  • 1184 – The handle of a folding knife.[2]
  • 1285 – A goldsmith's case.[2]
  • 1680 – The spelling châsse in Richelet.[2]
  • 1718 – Être dorée comme une châsse.[2]
  • 1833 – Slang châsse “eye”.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A reliquary: a richly worked coffer holding the relics of a saint.[6][10]
  2. Paré comme une châsse: richly dressed or decorated.[11][7]
  3. A mounting or frame: la châsse d'un verre de lunette; the handle of a lancet.[6][8]
  4. (slang, masculine) An eye.[10][7]

Word family

  • châssis
  • enchâsser

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 310b
  6. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Châsse.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/ch%C3%A2sse. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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