châtain

Forms

châtain (feminine (rare) châtaine or (obsolete) chataigne, masculine plural châtains, feminine plural (rare) châtaines or (obsolete) chataignes)^[1] First found as a feminine adjective chastaigne (late 12th or early 13th century); masculine chastain before 1345; the feminine châtaine only from 1839, in Balzac.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is a back-formation from French châtaigne (“chestnut”): the noun was used as an adjective beside feminine nouns, and a masculine adjective was made from it, as happened with violet; the feminine châtaine was then made from the masculine.^[2][5][3][1] The Petit Robert and Wiktionary also point to Latin castaneus.^[6][1]

The noun itself is from Latin castanea, which is from Ancient Greek κάστανον (kástanon).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Covenant Vivien (late 12th or early 13th century) has espee chastaigne, a chestnut-coloured sword; the word was very rare at first.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Before 1345 a manuscript of Rutebeuf has the masculine chastain of wine, and Christine de Pizan writes chasteins en couleur.^[2][7] The adjective came to be used mostly of hair that is neither fair nor dark, and of a person with such hair.^[3][2] Richelet stated in 1680 that it was used only in the masculine,^[2] and Littré still gave it as masculine only, but châtaine is found from Balzac (1839) on and passed into literary use.^[2][7][8] As a noun it has meant a person with chestnut hair, and the colour itself, since 1704.^[2][3]

Timeline

• c. 1200 – Espee chastaigne in the Covenant Vivien.^[2]
• Before 1345 – The masculine chastain is used of wine.^[2][4]
• 15th century – Christine de Pizan writes chasteins en couleur.^[7]
• 1680 – Richelet notes that it is used only in the masculine.^[2]
• 1704 – Trévoux records it as a noun.^[2][3]
• 1839 – Balzac uses the feminine châtaine.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of a medium brown colour like that of the chestnut, said chiefly of hair: des cheveux châtain clair.^[6][2]
2. Having chestnut-brown hair: Son frère est châtain.^[6][2][1]

Noun

1. Light chestnut brown, the colour.^[6][1]
2. A person with chestnut-brown hair.^[2][7]

Related words

• châtaigne
• châtaignier
• marron¹
• Latin castanea

Usage notes

The adjective is used mostly in the masculine; the feminine châtaine, long thought irregular, is rare but literary, and one also writes une femme châtain.^[6][8][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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 c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse