chemise

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʃə.miz/^[1]

Forms

chemise f (plural chemises)^[1] Chamisae (about 980); chemise from the 11th–12th century.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin camisia (“shirt, linen undergarment”), which appeared in the 4th century with the garment it names, and took the sense “cover” in the 12th century.^{[4][2][5][3][6]} Its first record is in Saint Jerome, who calls it a word of popular speech: soldiers, he says, are accustomed to wear linen shirts which they call “camisiae”.^[7][8] Rey says the Latin word could be a borrowing from Gaulish or Germanic.^[2] Etymonline and Wiktionary trace it, probably through Gaulish, to a Germanic word, Proto-West Germanic *hamiþi (“shirt”) in Wiktionary, the source of German Hemd.^[2][8][1]

Cognate with Italian camicia, Occitan camisa, Spanish camisa, Portuguese camisa and Romanian cămașă.^[5][9][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Clermont Passion (late 10th century) has chamisae for a linen garment worn next to the skin.^[4][2] The Roncevaux has Elle ot chemise de soie d'Aumarie “she had a shirt of Almería silk”.^[7]

Semantic evolution

By analogy it is a cover: of a book (1351), the masonry facing of a rampart (1676), a cardboard folder for papers (1752) and the protective lining of a blast furnace (1753), later of a cylinder (chemise de piston).^[4][2] Chemise de nuit dates from 1584.^[2]

From the 16th century the word entered many phrases: changer d'avis comme de chemise (1791), être comme cul et chemise (1808), en bras de chemise, vendre sa dernière chemise.^[2][1] In the 20th century it named members of paramilitary movements by their shirts: chemises noires, chemises brunes.^[2] English took chemise as a woman's undergarment from French, beside the much older kemes.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 980 – Chamisae, Clermont Passion.^[2]
• c. 1220 – Chemisette.^[2]
• 1351 – A book cover.^[4]
• 1584 – Chemise de nuit.^[2]
• 1752 – A cardboard folder.^[4]
• 1791 – Changer d'avis comme de chemise.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A shirt, buttoned down the front: chemise à manches courtes, en bras de chemise, in shirtsleeves.^[10][1]
2. Chemise de nuit: a nightdress, nightshirt.^[10][2]
3. (old) A shift, a linen undergarment.^[10][11]
4. A folder for papers.^[4][1]
5. (technical) A casing, lining: chemise de cylindre, (fortification) a facing wall.^[4][1]
6. Être comme cul et chemise: to be thick as thieves, changer d'avis comme de chemise, to keep changing one's mind.^[1][2]

Word family

• chemisette
• chemisier
• chemiserie
• surchemise

Related words

• camisole
• English chemise

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g 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
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 140a
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)