champêtre

Forms

champêtre (plural champêtres)^[1] Old French champestre.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French champestre, inherited from Latin campester (“of the plain, found in the plain or the country”), from campus (“field, plain”).^{[2][3][5][6][7]} Bloch and Wartburg note that its sense changed along with that of the Latin noun.^[6] It is related to champ and campagne.^[5][3]

Cognate with Italian campestre and Spanish campestre.^[6][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Laws of William the Conqueror (11th century) aveir champestre means property consisting of fields.^[2][8][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 13th century it qualified what lives in the country, wild as opposed to tame: Brunetto Latini's oies champestres “wild geese” (1262–1268), and the souris champestre “field mouse” of a fable (1339–1348).^[2][3] In mythology it was used of the gods who watch over the land (1544, dieux champestres).^[2][3]

From the 16th century it described life set in the country, vie champestre in Amyot (1567).^[2][3] From the end of the 17th century it also described what evokes the countryside, such as airs champestres in Furetière (1690).^[2][3] In administrative language garde champêtre, the officer who polices the rural areas of a commune, is recorded in 1819.^[2][3] The adjective is now somewhat dated or literary, except in set phrases such as bal champêtre and repas champêtre.^[9]

Timeline

• 11th century – Aveir champestre in the Laws of William the Conqueror.^[2]
• 1262–1268 – Oies champestres in Brunetto Latini's Trésor.^[2]
• 1544 – Dieux champestres in a translation of Sannazaro's Arcadia.^[2]
• 1567 – Vie champestre in Amyot.^[2][8]
• 1690 – Furetière records airs champestres.^[2]
• 1819 – Paul-Louis Courier uses garde-champêtre.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (dated or literary) Of the fields and the countryside, rural: vie champêtre, travaux champêtres.^[9][2][4]
2. Set in or evoking the country, rustic: bal champêtre, repas champêtre.^[9][4]
3. Garde champêtre: a rural policeman employed by a commune.^[2][4][9]
4. (mythology) Of the gods who preside over the fields: divinités champêtres.^[2][8]

Related words

• champ
• campagne
• Latin campester

References

1. ^ a b 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 g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 155a
8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert