Etymologically
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console

Etymology and origin of the French word console

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Clipping
First attested
1565
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French console
English console

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kɔ̃.sɔl/[1]

Forms

console f (plural consoles)[1]

Etymology

It is probably a shortening of “consolateur” (1554), the name of the carved figures that support a cornice or serve as armrests in choir stalls,[2][3][4][5] the figure being thought to “console” those standing, as with miséricorde.[3][2] P. Guiraud took it instead directly from consoler “to relieve”, the console relieving the arm or the cornice, comparing Italian dialect “consolo” “funeral meal”;[5][3] Rey also mentions the influence of consolider.[3] The Petit Robert derives it from “sole” “beam”, by popular etymology after “consoler” and “consolider”.[6] Littré thought of a shortening of “consolider”.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1565, as consolle, as a term of architecture.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The architectural sense is a projecting bracket, often S-shaped, supporting a cornice or balcony;[6][8] Olivier de Serres uses it for stone brackets in a dovecote.[7] By metonymy it named a side table with curved legs set against a wall (Oudin, 1640), fashionable under Louis XV and Louis XVI.[9][3][6]

By analogy of shape it was used of the curved top of a harp and of the keydesk of an organ,[3][6] and, from the mid-20th century of a control desk in computing and sound recording.[3][6] Today one of its commonest uses is console de jeux, a games console.[3][1] English console in these senses comes from French.[1]

Timeline

  • 1554 – Consolateur “figure supporting a cornice”.[2]
  • 1565 – Consolle in architecture.[2]
  • 1640 – A side table, in Oudin.[9]
  • Mid-20th century – A control console.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (architecture) A bracket or corbel, often S-shaped, supporting a cornice or balcony.[6][8]
  2. A console table set against a wall.[6][8]
  3. The keydesk of an organ; the top of a harp.[6]
  4. A control desk or terminal: console de mixage.[6][1]
  5. A games console: console de jeux.[3][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e 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 i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  9. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Console.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/console. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·