clémentine

Forms

clémentine f (plural clémentines)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French Clément + -ine, from the name of Father Clément, a monk who obtained the fruit around 1902 at Misserghin in Oranie (Algeria) by crossing a mandarin tree with a bitter orange tree.^[2][3][4][1] Rey takes the suffix from mandarine.^[3] Wiktionary identifies him as the missionary Clément Rodier.^[1] The personal name goes back to Latin Clementius, from clēmēns (“gentle, mild”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Robert dictionaries and the GLLF date the name of the fruit to 1902, when Father Clément produced it.^[4][5][6] The first record in a dictionary is in the Larousse du XXe siècle (1929), the date the TLFi and Rey give.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its single sense, a small citrus fruit close to the mandarine, preferred to it for its earliness, its lack of seeds and its flavour.^[2][5] The tree that bears it was named clémentinier by 1947.^[2][3]

English clementine is recorded from 1926 and comes from the French word.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 1902 – Father Clément obtains the fruit in Oranie.^[2][3][4]
• 1926 – English clementine is recorded.^[7]
• 1929 – The Larousse du XXe siècle records clémentine.^[2][3]
• 1947 – clémentinier is recorded.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A clementine: the fruit of the clémentinier, a small citrus close to the mandarin, with a thin skin.^[2][5][6]

Word family

• clémentinier

Related words

• mandarine
• clément
• English clementine

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com