Etymologically
Log in

chaud

Etymology and origin of the French word chaud

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland
Inherited from
Latin caldus
Ultimate origin
Latin (caleō)

Pronunciation

Forms

chaud (feminine chaude, masculine plural chauds, feminine plural chaudes)[1] Old French chaut, chalt, chauz.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin caldus (“hot, (figurative) hot-headed”), the contracted form of calidus, from caleō (“to be hot”), the source also of chaloir.[5][2][6][7][8] Littré read the “grant iholt” of the 10th-century Jonah fragment as an early spelling of the word.[4]

Cognate with Romanian cald, Italian caldo, Occitan caud, Catalan cald and Old Occitan caut, Spanish and Portuguese “caldo” is only a noun, “broth”.[7][6][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) uses it for a high temperature and, as a noun, for heat: Granz est li calz, si se leve la poudre (“great is the heat, and the dust rises”).[5][4]

Semantic evolution

Figurative uses came early: chaudes lermes (1165), whence pleurer à chaudes larmes, and d'ire chauz “hot with anger” (1165), a sense kept in Swiss French être chaud “to be angry”.[5][2] In 1243 une chaude novelle was a fresh piece of news, Jean de Meun (1275) uses it for “sensual”, and Adenet le Roi (1285) for “feverish”.[5] As a noun it gave ne faire ni chaud ni froid (about 1236) and au plus chaud de la mêlée (Montaigne, 1580); à chaud was applied to surgery in 1906.[5][2]

Classical French used it for hot-headedness, modern French for enthusiasm, as in ne pas être chaud pour.[2] After English hot it is used in quartier chaud and point chaud, and in African French of a dangerous situation; in Canadian French it can mean “drunk”.[2][1] Waiters' chaud devant ! warns of something hot being carried.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Adjective and noun in the Chanson de Roland.[5]
  • 1165 – Chaudes lermes, d'ire chauz.[5]
  • 1243 – Chaude novelle “fresh news”.[5]
  • c. 1236 – Ce ne me fet ne froit ne chaut.[5]
  • 1275 – “Sensual”, in Jean de Meun.[5]
  • 1863 – Chaud-froid.[6]
  • 1906 – À chaud in surgery.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. hot, warm: eau chaude, un climat chaud.[7][10]
  2. Fresh, recent: une nouvelle toute chaude.[2]
  3. Ardent, lively: une chaude discussion, un chaud partisan.[2][11]
  4. (familiar) Keen: il n'est pas chaud pour ce projet.[2][1]
  5. (familiar) Risky, troubled: quartier chaud, point chaud.[2][1]
  6. (slang) Sexy; randy.[1]
  7. (Canada, colloquial) Drunk, (Switzerland) angry.[1][2]

Noun

  1. Heat: endurer le chaud et le froid, avoir chaud, to be hot.[12]
  2. (familiar) Avoir eu chaud: to have had a narrow escape.[12][13]
  3. À chaud: in the heat of the moment, (surgery) during the acute phase.[12][2]
  4. Ne faire ni chaud ni froid: to leave cold.[2]

Adverb

  1. Hot: servir chaud, (familiar) coûter chaud, to cost a lot.[12]

Word family

  • chaud-froid
  • chaudement
  • chaudeau

Usage notes

Chaud devant ! is a waiters' warning to make way for something hot.[2][7]

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert 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, 87b
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  12. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  13. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Chaud.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/chaud. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·