convivial

Forms

convivial (feminine conviviale, masculine plural conviviaux, feminine plural conviviales)^[1] Middle French convival (1541) preceded the form convivial (1612).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin convīvālis, also convīviālis, an adjective of imperial Latin.^[2][3] This word is from Latin convīva (“table companion, guest”),^[3][4] the source of convive;^[5] Etymonline analyses the Latin family as com- (“with, together”) and vīvō (“to live”).^[5] Littré derived it from convīvium (“feast”).^[6] The modern use was taken up again under the influence of the English word convivial, of the same Latin origin.^[3][4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the form convival in Michel de Tours's translation of Suetonius (1541), followed by a use in 1586 in Louveau's life of Apuleius;^[2] convivial appears in 1612 in Marc Lescarbot's history of New France.^[2] The traditional sense was “relating to feasts and meals”.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

For a long time the word belonged to learned writing about banquets: Littré calls it a word of Brillat-Savarin, meaning “relating to feasts”.^[6] The form conviviable that 19th-century dictionaries attribute to Brillat-Savarin is a misprint for conviviale in the 1842 edition of the Physiologie du goût; the other editions have conviviale.^[2]

In the 20th century the word spread under the influence of English convivial and, after convivialité, took on the favourable sense of warm, friendly sociability that its older use did not have.^[4] Convivialité itself, borrowed from English conviviality in 1816, was revived in 1973 in a translation of Ivan Illich.^[4] In computing, convivial describes a system that is easy to use for a non-specialist, an Americanism.^[4][7] English convivial (1660s) comes straight from Late Latin and took the sense “sociable” in the 18th century.^[5]

Timeline

• 1541 – Convival appears in Michel de Tours's translation of Suetonius.^[2]
• 1612 – Marc Lescarbot uses the form convivial.^[2][3]
• 1660s – English borrows convivial from Late Latin.^[5]
• 1816 – Convivialité is borrowed from English.^[4]
• 1842 – A misprint conviviable in an edition of Brillat-Savarin enters later dictionaries.^[2]
• 1973 – Convivialité is taken up in a translation of Ivan Illich, and convivial gains a favourable sense.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (literary) Relating to feasts and meals.^[2][6]
2. Relating to or expressing friendly conviviality: warm and sociable.^[7][4]
3. (computing) Easy to use for a non-specialist, user-friendly.^[7][1]

Related words

• convivialité
• convive
• convier
• Latin convīva
• English convivial

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert