cornouille

Forms

cornouille f (plural cornouilles)^[1] Old French cornolle, then cornoylle (before 1350) and Middle French cornoille (1538), refashioned as cornouille in 1680.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French cornolle, from Latin cornum (“cornel cherry”), formed with the diminutive suffix -ulla.^[3][2][5][1] The palatal /ʎ/ arose in the name of the tree, cornouiller, where the /ll/ met the suffix -ier, and passed from there to the name of the fruit.^[3][5][6] The GLLF dates the spelling cornoille to about 1175, in Chrétien de Troyes.^[7] Littré took it from Latin corniculum (“little horn”), for the shape of the fruit,^[8] an explanation the later dictionaries do not follow.^[3][2]

The Latin noun is derived from cornus (“cornel tree”), which Rey relates to a Greek tree name of the same sense and to a Lithuanian god who protected cherry trees, probably from an Indo-European root for something hard.^[2] Old French also had cornelle (1160–1185), with another suffix, and plain corne, from Vulgar Latin *corna, a neuter plural taken as a feminine singular.^[3][5] Littré gives Picard corgnolle and Walloon coinioule.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as cornolles in the glosses of John of Garland (1229–1252), for the fruit of the cornel.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The word has always named the fruit of the cornel, especially the reddish, sourish edible fruit of the common cornel.^[2][3] The tree was named corgnollier in 1300–1320, and before that probably by cornouille itself.^[2] The modern form cornouille, with the vowel and the palatal of cornouiller, is recorded by Richelet in 1680.^[3][4]

Timeline

• 1229–1252 – Cornolles in John of Garland.^[3][2]
• 1300–1320 – The tree is named corgnollier.^[2]
• before 1350 – Cornoylle in the glossary Abavus.^[3][2]
• 1538 – Cornoille in Robert Estienne.^[3]
• 1680 – Richelet has cornouille.^[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (rare or regional) The fruit of the cornouiller, the cornel or cornelian cherry, red, olive-shaped and sourish, eaten raw or preserved: Ils ont cueilli des cornouilles mûres le long de la haie..^[3][9][1]

Word family

• cornouiller

Related words

• corne
• corme
• Latin cornum

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 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 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. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1206b
7. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert