chanteur

Forms

chanteur (feminine chanteuse, masculine plural chanteurs, feminine plural chanteuses)^[1] Old French chantur and chanteor, the oblique case; the nominative was chanterres.^[2][3] The feminine chanteuse (1680) replaced chanteresse, still used in the 16th century.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French chanteor, inherited from Latin cantōrem (“singer”), in its accusative form, from canō (“to sing”).^[5][2][1][6] The DHLF also names cantātōrem, and Littré and the FEW take the word from the latter, from cantō (“to sing”).^[7][3][8] Littré notes that Old French chantere continued the nominative, while modern French keeps the oblique case.^[3] The Latin nominative gave chantre.^[7][5] By surface analysis it is chanter with the suffix -eur.^[1]

Compare Old Occitan cantador, Spanish cantador and Italian cantatore.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie (1154–1173) has chanteor for a person who sings for a living.^[5] The Livre des Rois (late 12th century) has chanteresse ne chanteur among the pleasures of the court.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its sense of a person who sings, often professionally, while chantre was restricted to a church singer and, figuratively, a poet.^[5][7] In lyrical singing the feminine chanteuse has given way to cantatrice.^[7]

In 1732 the Trévoux dictionary used the noun for a kind of bird.^[5][7] From 1805 (Cuvier) the adjective describes songbirds, les oiseaux chanteurs.^[5][7] The compound maître chanteur (1837) is linked to faire chanter and chantage “blackmail”, and since 1840 also renders German Meistersinger.^[7] Littré also records it in sailors' use for those who give signals by singing, and in thieves' slang for a kind of blackmailer.^[3]

Timeline

• 1154–1173 – Chanteor in the Roman de Troie.^[5]
• c. 1170 – Chanteresse in the Livre des Rois.^[5]
• 1680 – Richelet records the feminine chanteuse.^[5][7]
• 1732 – The Trévoux dictionary uses it for a bird.^[5][7]
• 1805 – Cuvier uses it as an adjective of songbirds.^[5][7]
• 1837 – Maître chanteur “blackmailer”.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A singer, especially a professional one: un chanteur des rues, un chanteur de charme.^[6][5][4]
2. Maître chanteur: a blackmailer; historically, a German Meistersinger.^[4][7]

Adjective

1. That sings, said of birds: les oiseaux chanteurs, songbirds.^[5][3][1]

Related words

• chanter
• chantre
• cantatrice
• Latin cantor

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
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 c d e f g h i j k l m n 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. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 225a