chorégraphie

Forms

chorégraphie f (plural chorégraphies)^[1] Also written choréographie in the 18th century (1768).^[2][3][4] The Académie gave both spellings in 1798.^[5]

Etymology

It is from Ancient Greek χορεία (khoreía, “dance”) and γράφω (gráphō, “to write”), put together on the model of learned words in -graphie.^{[5][2][6][3][7]} The Greek noun is from χορός (khorós) (the source of chœur), which meant “dance” as well as “band of dancers”, “chorus” and “dancing place”.^[2][6] The word partly replaced the older orchésographie.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in the title of R. A. Feuillet's La Chorégraphie ou l'Art d'écrire la danse par caractères, figures et signes démonstratifs (1701), meaning a method of writing down the steps and figures of a dance.^[5][2][6]

Semantic evolution

The first sense passed to notation.^[2][4] In the 19th century the word spread with the senses “art of composing ballets and arranging their steps and figures” (1835, Académie) and “art of dance”, or the set of styles and steps of a dance (1851, Murger).^[2][4][8][5]

The adjective chorégraphique (1786) followed the same development, as did chorégraphe.^[2] Rey dates the noun to 1786, Bloch and Wartburg to 1829.^[2][6] English choreography (1789) is from the French form choréographie.^[9]

Timeline

• 1701 – Feuillet's La Chorégraphie names a system of dance notation.^[5][2][6]
• 1768 – The variant choréographie is recorded.^[2]
• 1786 – The adjective chorégraphique appears.^[2]
• 1789 – English borrows it as choreography.^[9]
• 1798 – The Académie records chorégraphie ou choréographie.^[5]
• 1835 – The Académie records the sense “art of composing ballets”.^[4][8]
• 1851 – Murger uses it of the set of steps of a dance.^[5][2]
• 1863 – The adverb chorégraphiquement is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (dated) A method of writing down the steps and figures of a dance with notational signs.^[5][10][4]
2. The art of composing and arranging ballets and dances; choreography.^[5][10][4]
3. The set of steps and figures that make up a ballet or a dance.^[5][4]
4. (by extension) The art of dance.^[5][4]

Word family

• chorégraphe
• chorégraphique

Related words

• chœur
• orchésographie
• English choreography

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 652b
8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert