charnel

Forms

charnel (feminine charnelle, masculine plural charnels, feminine plural charnelles)^[1] Old French carnel (10th century) and charnel (from about 1170).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French charnel, inherited from Late Latin carnālis (“of the flesh, bodily, physical”), a word of Christian Latin found from Tertullian onward.^[3][4][1][5] The Latin adjective was formed from carō (“flesh”), in parallel with spīritālis (“spiritual”) from spīritus, the two adjectives rendering the Greek pair “of the flesh” and “of the spirit”.^[3] Wiktionary notes that the Old French word can also be analysed as charn (modern chair) with the suffix -el.^[1]

Cognate with Italian carnale, Old Occitan carnal, Catalan carnal, Spanish carnal and Portuguese carnal.^[6] In Italian the phrase fratello carnale (“full brother”) led to a sense “affectionate”.^[6] English charnel (late 14th century), first “a repository for dead bodies”, is from the Old French word.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the second half of the 10th century in the Vie de saint Léger: Et si el non ad ols carnels, Encor los ad espiritiels “and if he has no bodily eyes, he still has spiritual ones”, where it means “physical, bodily”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

From the start the word had a religious value, “belonging to the realm of matter and the instincts”, as opposed to the spirit.^[4] The sense “sensual, sexual, impure”, recorded about 1170 in the Livre des Rois, also comes from the biblical tradition;^[3][4] Jerome had already used Latin carnalis in this sense.^[3][4] In Old and Anglo-Norman French it could also mean “of the same blood” and “mortal, human”.^[8][9]

The adverb charnellement (1130–1140) was formed to render Christian Latin carnaliter.^[4] In modern French the word is mostly didactic or literary, and its sexual sense is dated outside set phrases such as acte charnel.^[10]

Timeline

• 950–1000 – Carnels “bodily” appears in the Vie de saint Léger.^[3]
• c. 1050 – The Vie de saint Alexis uses the word.^[11]
• 1130–1140 – The adverb charnellement is recorded.^[4]
• c. 1170 – The sense “sensual, impure” appears in the Livre des Rois.^[3][4]
• Late 14th century – English takes charnel from Old French.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (didactic) Of the flesh, relating to the body and to animal nature, as opposed to the spirit.^[10][12]
2. By extension, material, earthly.^[10][11]
3. (dated) Relating to the sensual, especially sexual, instincts: acte charnel, union charnelle.^[10][12]
4. (rare) Fleshy, abounding in flesh.^[3]

Word family

• charnellement

Related words

• chair
• charnu
• Latin carnālis
• English charnel

Usage notes

Péguy's line Heureux ceux qui sont morts pour la terre charnelle uses the word poetically for the physical, earthly homeland.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g 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, 381a
6. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
12. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)