Etymologically
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cheval

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʃə.val/[1]
  • IPA: /ʃval/[1]

Forms

cheval m (plural chevaux, feminine jument)[1] In Old French the nominative singular was chevals, chevaus, the oblique cheval; the modern contrast of cheval and chevaux is a remnant of that declension.[2] A popular pronunciation gave choual, the source of Quebec joual.[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French cheval, inherited from Latin caballus (“pack horse, nag”).[4][1][5] “Caballus” was a popular word, first for a poor horse or a gelding, then for a work horse; it spread through spoken Latin and ousted classical equus.[4][3][6] Its origin is obscure: a Gaulish (Celtic) or Balkan source has been supposed, and some think of an ethnic name, as with hongre.[3] The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert call it Gaulish.[7][8]

Cognate with Romanian cal, Italian cavallo, Occitan caval, Catalan cavall, Spanish caballo and Portuguese cavalo.[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

It names the animal from the early 12th century in the Laws of William the Conqueror, and about 1100 in the Chanson de Roland, where as chevals means “mounted” and is also the order to mount.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

About 1195 it is used specifically of the male, as opposed to jument, and, from 1873 of horse meat.[4][3] The horse's place in society until the 19th century shows in the number of phrases: à cheval “astride” (before 1661) and figuratively être à cheval sur “to be a stickler for” (1835), monter sur ses grands chevaux “to fly off the handle” (before 1592, Montaigne), and cheval de bataille, a favourite theme (1690).[4][3] De cheval expresses brute strength: médecine de cheval (1690), fièvre de cheval (1798).[4][3]

By analogy it names things shaped or used like a horse: the cheval de bois (1556) and the merry-go-round, the cheval de frise in fortification (1680), the vaulting horse cheval d'arçons (1946), and the game of petits chevaux (1891).[4][3] Cheval-vapeur imitates English horse power, and the cheval fiscal gave the name of the Citroën deux-chevaux.[3] In slang a cheval de retour is a repeat offender (1828, Vidocq),[4] and cheval is also heroin.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – The Chanson de Roland: as chevals “on horseback”.[4]
  • c. 1195 – The male horse, in Ambroise.[4]
  • 1556 – Cheval de bois.[4]
  • Before 1592 – Montaigne's monter sur ses grands chevaux.[4]
  • 1611 – Cheval marin “sea horse”, in Cotgrave.[4]
  • 1680 – Cheval de frise, in Richelet.[4]
  • 1690 – Furetière records cheval de bataille and médecine de cheval.[4]
  • 1828 – Cheval de retour “repeat offender”, Vidocq.[4]
  • 1835 – Être à cheval sur, in the Académie dictionary.[4]
  • 1873 – Horse meat.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A horse, used for riding and draught; specifically the adult male, as opposed to jument and poulain.[8][10]
  2. Riding: faire du cheval.[11]
  3. Horse meat.[11][4]
  4. (figurative) A big, strong or coarse person: un grand cheval.[11][3]
  5. Cheval-vapeur: horsepower, cheval fiscal: the unit used to tax a car.[1][3]
  6. À cheval: astride, être à cheval sur: to be very strict about.[8][3]
  7. (slang) heroin.[1]

Word family

  • cheval-vapeur
  • chevalet
  • queue-de-cheval
  • chevaler
  • chevalier
  • chevalerie
  • chevalin
  • chevau-léger
  • cavalerie
  • cavalier
  • chevaleresque
  • chevaucher
  • équin
  • équitation
  • jument
  • Latin caballus
  • Latin equus

Usage notes

The proverb à cheval donné on ne regarde pas la bride corresponds to English “don't look a gift horse in the mouth”.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 8b
  6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)