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couille

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Etymology and origin of the French word couille

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1178 Roman de Renart More words from the 12th century
Inherited from
Latin *colea via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin cōleus

Pronunciation

Forms

couille f (plural couilles)[1] Old French coille.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French coille, inherited from Vulgar Latin *cōlea, either a feminine form of Latin cōleus (“testicle”) or the plural of a neuter *coleum taken as a feminine singular.[2][4][3][5] The Latin word has no clear etymology; a link with culleus (“leather sack”) has been considered,[3] and the GLLF derives it from that word.[6] It was a popular, vulgar word, the usual term being testiculus.[3]

Old Occitan had colh and colha.[5] couillon comes from the same Latin word through Late Latin *coleonem.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as coille about 1178 in the Roman de Renart, for the scrotum and a testicle.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

A vulgar but common word, it entered many figurative phrases, in which it is sometimes replaced by a pronoun out of euphemism (tu nous les casses).[3] From 1594 it was used as an insult for a coward, and later in couille molle (1847), the opposite of avoir des couilles “to have courage”.[2][3]

From the phrase partir en couille “to come to nothing” it came to mean in slang a mistake, a failure or a serious problem.[3][7] With se faire des couilles en or “to earn a lot of money” (1980s) the word regained a positive sense, and ma couille is a friendly form of address; in New Caledonia les couilles à la main means “stunned, unable to react”.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1178 – Coille in the Roman de Renart.[2][3]
  • 1594 – Used in the Satyre Ménippée as an insult for a coward.[2][3]
  • 1847 – Couille molle is recorded in a slang dictionary.[2][3]
  • 1920 – À couilles rabattues is recorded.[3]
  • 1980s – Se faire des couilles en or “to earn a lot of money” appears.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (vulgar) A testicle.[2][7][8]
  2. Avoir des couilles: to have courage;[7][3] couille molle: a spineless man.[7][3]
  3. Casser les couilles à qqn: to annoy someone.[7][2]
  4. (vulgar, slang) Une couille: a mistake, a hitch;[7][8] partir en couille: to go wrong, come to nothing.[7][8]

Word family

  • couillard

Usage notes

Sandry and Carrère's slang dictionary records c'est de la couille en bâtons “it is worthless”, dated 1957.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 l m n o p q Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 888a
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  9. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Couille.” Etymologically, 11 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/couille. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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