consigne

Forms

consigne f (plural consignes)^[1] First written consine (before 1522).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a deverbal noun from French consigner.^[2][4][1][5] The verb was borrowed in 1345 from Latin cōnsignō (“to mark with a seal, to record in writing”), from con- and signō (“to mark”), from signum (“sign, seal”).^[3][4] According to Bloch and Wartburg, the noun followed the senses of the verb.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

An isolated record in Robertet's translation of Petrarch's Triumphs (before 1522) has consine for something set down in writing, a testimony.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 17th century it was taken up for the agent who watched the movement of people and goods (1622); the TLFi notes that this sense grew out of “order given to a sentry”, although that is recorded later, by the Académie in 1740.^[2][3] The military order was widened to any strict instruction, and in 1803 the word was used for confinement to barracks as a punishment, later also for detention at school.^[2][3][6]

The left-luggage office of a railway station is recorded in 1866, and in a port as early as 1848.^[2][3] Recently consigne, like consigner and consignation, has become a commercial term for the deposit refunded when empty containers are returned.^[3][7]

Timeline

• before 1522 – Consine “written testimony” in Robertet.^[2]
• 1622 – Used for an agent who watches the movement of people and goods.^[2][8]
• 1740 – The Académie records it for the order given to a sentry.^[2][4]
• 1803 – Boiste records it for confinement as a punishment.^[2][6]
• 1848 – Used of a luggage office in a port.^[3]
• 1866 – Larousse records the left-luggage office of a station.^[2][9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A strict instruction given to a soldier or a guard, and by extension any instruction to be followed: le gardien a suivi la consigne, lisez les consignes avant de commencer.^[10][7]
2. (familiar) Manger la consigne: to forget to carry out an order;^[10][11] brûler la consigne: to disregard it.^[10][11]
3. Confinement to barracks or detention at school as a punishment.^[10][7]
4. A left-luggage office in a station or airport, and the luggage lockers there: consigne automatique.^[7][2]
5. A refundable deposit paid on a returnable container.^[7][1]

Related words

• consigner
• consignation
• signe
• Latin cōnsignō

Usage notes

Littré also has a masculine consigne, the man posted at the gate of a fortified town to register strangers, also called portier consigne.^[11] Quemada's datings record this masculine use in Switzerland from 1752.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 607b
6. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
10. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette