citerne

Forms

citerne f (plural citernes)^[1] Old French cisterne (about 1170), the spelling used until the 17th century;^[2][3] citerne from about 1300.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French cisterne, inherited from Latin cisterna (“reservoir for water”),^[3][4][1][5] which Rey calls an adaptation of the Latin word.^[2] The Latin noun is derived from cista (“chest, basket”), borrowed from Ancient Greek κίστη (kístē, “basket”), itself probably a borrowing; it may have reached Rome through Etruria, where such sacred baskets were common.^[2][3]

Cognate with Italian cisterna and Old Occitan cisterna.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Livre des Rois (about 1170) cisterne is a reservoir into which rainwater is led and stored.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

The word spread from rainwater tanks to tanks of other liquids, such as fuel oil (citerne à mazout, 1941).^[3][2] By metonymy it named a small vessel carrying fresh water to ships (citerne flottante 1783, citerne 1820).^[3][2] Since 1881 it has formed compounds such as bateau-citerne and later camion-citerne.^[3][2] In anatomy it named parts seen as reservoirs of fluid (1752), notably the citerne de Pecquet (1814).^[3][2]

English borrowed the Old French word in the mid-13th century as cistern.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1170 – Cisterne in the Livre des Rois.^[3]
• c. 1300 – The spelling citerne appears.^[2][3]
• Mid-13th century – English borrows it as cistern.^[8]
• 1694 – The diminutive cisterneau is recorded.^[2]
• 1752 – First used in anatomy.^[3]
• 1783 – Citerne flottante, a water-carrying boat.^[3]
• 1881 – Bateau-citerne.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A tank or cistern, above or below ground, in which rainwater is collected and stored.^[9][3]
2. A closed tank for a fuel or another liquid: citerne à mazout, citerne à vin; also each cargo tank of an oil tanker.^[9][10]
3. In compounds, a vehicle carrying liquids: camion-citerne, wagon-citerne.^[9][10]
4. (anatomy) A space where lymph collects, such as the citerne de Pecquet.^[3][7]

Word family

• citerneau

Related words

• Latin cisterna
• English cistern

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 716b
5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse