Etymologically
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chou

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Pronunciation

Forms

chou m (plural choux)[1] Old French chol, chou (nominative chols, chous). Plural choux, one of seven nouns in -ou with plural -x.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French chol, inherited from Latin caulis (“stem; cabbage”),[4][2][5][6][1][7] which also named stem-shaped objects.[2] Rey relates it to Ancient Greek καυλός (kaulós, “stem”), which Wiktionary gives as cognate or as the source.[2][1][3] German Kohl and the first part of English cauliflower come from the same family.[2]

Cognate with Italian cavolo, Occitan caul, Catalan col and Spanish col.[3][8] The dialects also have “cabus” (Walloon), “jote” (west) and diminutives such as “cholet” (Picard and southern).[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence's life of Saint Thomas (about 1175) has chous for the vegetable.[4][9]

Semantic evolution

The cabbage gave proverbs: faire ses choux gras, first “to live well” (15th century), then “to profit” (17th century), and aller planter ses choux “to retire to the country”.[2][9] Many crucifers bear the name: chou-fleur “cauliflower” (1611, after Italian), chou-rave (16th century), choux de Bruxelles.[5][2][10]

The round cabbage head gave the cream puff, chou à la crème (1549), and a rosette of ribbon (1694).[4][9] As a term of endearment, mon chou is recorded from 1809, and the familiar adjective chou means “cute”.[4][1]

Timeline

  • c. 1175 – Chous.[4][6]
  • 15th century – Faire ses choux gras.[2]
  • 1549 – A pastry puff.[4][9]
  • 1611 – Chou-fleur.[5]
  • 1694 – A knot of ribbon.[4]
  • 1809 – Mon chou, a term of endearment.[4][9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A cabbage: soupe aux choux, choux de Bruxelles “Brussels sprouts”.[10][1]
  2. A cream puff: chou à la crème.[10][4]
  3. (familiar) Darling, sweetheart: mon chou.[10][1]
  4. A rosette of ribbon.[4][9]

Adjective

  1. (familiar) Cute, sweet.[1]

Word family

  • chou-rave
  • chou-fleur
  • choucroute
  • Latin caulis
  • English cauliflower

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 535a
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert