couronne

Forms

couronne f (plural couronnes)^[1] Old French corona (10th century), curune and corone (1080); the modern form appears about 1340.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French corone, inherited from Latin corōna (“wreath, garland, crown”).^[4][1][2][5] Latin already had most of the French senses: a wreath given for merit, in Christian Latin the glory of the martyr, the crown as a sign of power, in Medieval Latin royal power (1119) and the royal domain (1190), and a ring of people or things, a halo, and in Late Latin the tonsure.^[4][2]

The Latin word is probably borrowed from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē, “crow”), which, from the curve of the bird's beak, came to name any hooked or curved object, among them a kind of crown.^[4][2][6][7] Rey places the Greek word in a series of expressive forms that includes Latin cornīx (“crow”), the source of corneille.^[2] The Petit Robert connects it with the Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- of courbe.^[3]

Cognate with Italian corona, Spanish corona, Catalan corona, Occitan corona, Portuguese coroa and Romanian cunună.^[3][8][9] German Krone and Dutch kroon were taken from Latin.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as corona in the Passion (first half of the 10th century), as a symbol of power, there used in mockery; about 1100 the Chanson de Roland has curune for the royal crown: De trestuz reis vous present les curunes “I present to you the crowns of all the kings”.^[4][9]

Semantic evolution

From the royal insignia the word passed by metonymy to the lands under the king (1172–1175, Chrétien de Troyes), to royal power itself (first half of the 13th century) and, in some phrases, to the state ruled by a king (1676).^[4][2] It also took up the other Latin senses early: the martyr's crown (1130–1140, Wace), a reward for merit (about 1175) and, without symbolic value, a wreath worn as an ornament (1181–1190).^[4][2] The Old French word passed into English as crown and coroner, the officer of the Crown.^[3][10]

By likeness of shape it named the clerical tonsure (about 1100), people standing in a circle (late 12th century) and any ring (about 1560).^[4][2] Later uses include a halo round the Sun or Moon (Furetière, 1690), the solar corona (1858), the bony part of a horse's foot above the hoof (1600, Olivier de Serres), the upper part of a tooth (1728) and its artificial replacement (1846), and a ring-shaped loaf (1825, after pain en couronne, 1665).^[4][2] From the crown stamped on them it also named a coin (about 1340) and a folio paper (1680, Richelet).^[4][2] In the French of Polynesia it is a garland of flowers worn round the neck.^[2]

Timeline

• 900–950 – Corona appears in the Passion.^[4]
• c. 1100 – Curune “royal crown” and corone “tonsure” in the Chanson de Roland.^[4]
• 1130–1140 – Wace speaks of the martyrs' crown.^[4]
• 1172–1175 – Chrétien de Troyes uses it for the royal domain.^[4]
• 1181–1190 – A wreath worn as an ornament, in Chrétien's Perceval.^[4]
• 1215–1230 – First heraldic use.^[4]
• c. 1340 – Name of a coin, and the spelling couronne.^[4][2]
• 1600 – Olivier de Serres uses it for part of a horse's foot.^[4]
• 1676 – A state ruled by a king.^[2]
• 1690 – Furetière records a halo round the Sun or Moon.^[4]
• 1846 – A dental crown.^[2][3]
• 1858 – Couronne solaire “solar corona”.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A circle of flowers or leaves worn on the head as an ornament or mark of honour, a wreath; figuratively, a reward.^[3][11] Les enfants tressaient une couronne de pâquerettes.^[3][11]
2. A circle of metal worn on the head as the sign of a sovereign's authority, a crown;^[3][11] la couronne d'épines: the crown of thorns.^[3][11]
3. Royal or imperial power, sovereignty; a state ruled by a monarch.^[3] Le prince renonça à la couronne.^[3]
4. (Canada) La Couronne: the Crown, the supreme power of the Canadian state.^[3][1]
5. A funeral wreath;^[3][1] ni fleurs ni couronnes: of a very simple funeral.^[3][1]
6. A circular object or a set of things arranged in a ring; a ring-shaped loaf.^[3]
7. (dentistry) The crown of a tooth; an artificial cap fitted over a damaged tooth.^[3][1]
8. (astronomy) Couronne solaire: the solar corona.^[3]
9. La petite couronne, la grande couronne: the rings of departments around Paris.^[3][1]
10. Any of several currencies called crown.^[1]
11. (dated) The clerical tonsure.^[3]

Word family

• couronnement
• couronner
• découronner

Related words

• corolle
• corollaire
• coronal
• coronaire
• Latin corōna
• English crown

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 n o p q r s t u Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1208b
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)