Etymologically
Log in

chicane

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the French word chicane

Confidence
Established
Formation
Back-formation
First attested
1582 Tabourot, Bigarrures More words from the 16th century
Ultimate origin
French chicaner

Pronunciation

Forms

chicane f (plural chicanes)[1]

Etymology

It is a deverbal noun from French chicaner (“to quibble”).[2][3][4][5]

The origin of the verb (1461) is uncertain.[6] The TLFi and Rey think it probably a cross of an expressive root meaning smallness, seen in chic, chiche and chicot, with ricaner, which gave the ending; the TLFi also mentions a derivative of a word for a small ball.[2][6] Bloch and Wartburg likewise connect it with the expressive root of Spanish chico (“small”) and Occitan chic, the suffix probably taken from the latter verb.[5] P. Guiraud saw instead a frequentative of chiquer (“to give a small blow”).[6] Littré had derived the word from a Byzantine Greek name of the game of mall, itself from Persian.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1582 in Tabourot des Accords's Bigarrures, for a difficulty raised to confuse a lawsuit; one of its epitaphs says that Pluto will not receive a great quibbler for fear he would bring la chicane into his kingdom.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

From the law courts the word spread to mean, disparagingly, legal procedure itself (1680) and the people who live off lawsuits, gens de chicane (before 1664) or simply la chicane (1675).[2][6] By the early 17th century it was a captious quibble on any subject (Guez de Balzac), and chercher chicane à quelqu'un “to pick a quarrel with someone” is recorded in 1688.[2][4]

The word was also a term of the game of mall, which Rey connects either with the idea of a small blow or with a winding course.[6] In military language chicane named small actions disputing ground (18th century). From 1899 it named a zigzag passage through a row of obstacles;[2] en chicane “in a zigzag” is recorded in 1922, and in skiing the word names a figure of the slalom (1931).[2][8][6] It is also a bridge term for a hand with no cards in one suit.[8][9]

In Quebec and the rest of French Canada, as in Louisiana, chicane is the everyday word for a quarrel, recorded since 1818 and perhaps about 1765, where in France it is rare in this sense.[10][11] English took chicane “trickery” from French in the 1670s, and later used it for road obstacles and in bridge.[12]

Timeline

  • 1461 – Villon uses the verb chicaner “to sue”.[2]
  • 1582 – First record of the noun, in Tabourot des Accords.[2][4]
  • Before 1654 – Guez de Balzac uses it for a captious quibble in any matter.[2]
  • Before 1664 – Gens de chicane “people of the law courts” is recorded.[2][6]
  • 1688 – Chercher chicane à quelqu'un is recorded.[2]
  • 1752 – The military chicane de fossé is recorded.[2]
  • 1818 – First certain record of the Quebec sense “quarrel”.[10]
  • 1899 – It names a zigzag passage through obstacles.[2]
  • 1922 – En chicane “in a zigzag” is recorded.[2]
  • 1931 – It is used in skiing.[6][8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (law) A difficulty raised in a lawsuit on a minor point in order to confuse the case;[8][9][2] (pejorative) legal procedure with its subtleties.[8][9][2]
  2. Gens de chicane: people who deal in lawsuits and procedure, and people fond of litigation.[8][2]
  3. A quibble or objection made in bad faith; a petty quarrel: chercher chicane à quelqu'un.[8][9][13]
  4. (Quebec, Louisiana) A quarrel or dispute.[10][11][8]
  5. A zigzag passage one is forced to take, especially a series of obstacles on a road that slows traffic: a chicane.[13][9][1]
  6. En chicane: set obliquely to a straight line, staggered.[9][2]
  7. (skiing) A figure of a slalom made of three or more gates.[8]
  8. (bridge) The absence of any card of one suit in a hand.[8][9]
  9. (military) A narrow, winding passage through a wall or defensive work.[9]

Word family

  • chicaner
  • chicanerie
  • chicaneur
  • chic
  • chiche
  • chicot
  • ricaner
  • English chicane

References

  1. ^ a b c 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 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
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ a b c Poirier, Claude, et al. (2024), Dictionnaire historique du français québécois, 2nd ed., Trésor de la langue française au Québec, Université Laval, dhfq.org
  11. ^ a b Base de données lexicographiques panfrancophone (BDLP), Trésor de la langue française au Québec / Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, bdlp.org
  12. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  13. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Chicane.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/chicane. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·