cil

Forms

cil m (plural cils)^[1] Anglo-Norman cile, cille and cyl.^[2]

Etymology

The TLFi and Rey treat it as borrowed from Latin cilium (“eyelid, eyelash”), the Imperial Latin word;^[3][4] Wiktionary and Bloch and Wartburg give it as inherited from Old French cil, inherited from the same Latin word.^[1][5][6] Rey places the Latin word with Old High German hulla (“covering”) under the root Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to hide”), also seen in Latin cēlō (“to hide”).^[4]

Cognate with Italian ciglio (“eyelash, eyebrow”), Spanish ceja (“eyebrow”) and Old Occitan cilh (“eyebrow”).^[5][7][8] In the Gallo-Romance dialects the word now competes with the words for eyebrow, eyelid and hair.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1174–1178 in Étienne de Fougères's Livre des manières, for a hair of the eyelid.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

Of the Latin meanings French kept only “eyelash”.^[4] Like poil and cheveu, it was extended by analogy to the fine hairs that fringe parts of plants and to the filaments of single-celled organisms;^[4][3] Cuvier used it in 1805 for the hairs edging the fins of crustaceans.^[4][3] Cils vibratiles, the vibrating filaments of some cells, are described by Littré.^[7] Familiar French has jeter un cil “to cast a quick glance” (1977).^[4]

The derived verb ciller (12th century) gave dessiller, first “to unsew the eyelids of a falcon”, then figuratively in the 16th centurve.^[5]

Timeline

• 1174–1178 – Étienne de Fougères uses cil in the Livre des manières.^[3]
• 12th century – The derivative ciller appears.^[5]
• 1805 – Cuvier uses it of the hairs fringing crustacean fins.^[3]
• 1942 – The derivative ciliation appears.^[3]
• 1977 – Jeter un cil “to glance” is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. An eyelash, a hair growing on the edge of the eyelid: battre des cils, faux cils.^[9][10][1]
2. (biology) A cilium, a fine mobile filament of some cells or single-celled organisms;^[9][10] cils vibratiles.^[9][10]
3. (botany) One of the fine hairs fringing certain parts of plants.^[7][4]

Word family

• ciller
• dessiller
• ciliaire
• cilié

Related words

• sourcil
• Latin cilium

Usage notes

Littré and the Anglo-Norman Dictionary have a separate Old French cil “that one”, the demonstrative pronoun treated under celui.^[7][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e 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, 672a
7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse