courrier

Forms

courrier m (plural courriers)^[1] Middle French corier and courier; the spelling courrier is found from 1464.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian corriere (“bearer of messages”), first as corier and courier in the early 14th century.^[2][3][4] The Italian word, recorded from the 13th century, is derived from correre (“to run”) with the suffix -iere, itself of French origin; the Medieval Latin form currerius (“messenger”) is found at Genoa in 1162.^[2][3] The Italian verb continues Latin currō (“to run”).^[5]

In the 13th and 14th centuries Italian couriers carried messages between Florence and Siena and the fairs of Champagne, which may explain the borrowing.^[6][2] Bloch and Wartburg find traces of Italian influence in the Gestes des Chiprois, one of the first French texts with the word.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest examples, in L'Entrée d'Espagne and the Gestes des Chiprois (early 14th century), mean a bearer of messages.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

Courrier first named a person: a messenger, a rider who went ahead of post carriages to prepare the relays, and the official who carried letters in the mail coach.^[3][2] In the 17th century a feminine courière “woman who brings news” is also found.^[3] The word then passed to the vehicle that carried the dispatches (1816), the mail coach and later aircraft: long-courrier is the oldest of these, moyen-courrier dates from about 1950 and court-courrier from 1965.^[2][3]

By metonymy it came to mean the letters and papers carried (1770, Rousseau).^[2][3] From the 1630s it was used as the title of newspapers, and later of a column of news or readers' letters (courrier des lecteurs, courrier du cœur).^[2][3] Courrier électronique gave the Quebec coinage courriel (about 1990), meant to replace e-mail.^[3]

Etymonline traces the English word courier, a messenger from the mid-14th century, through Anglo-French courrier.^[8]

Timeline

• early 14th century – Corier in L'Entrée d'Espagne, courier in the Gestes des Chiprois.^[2]
• 1464 – The spelling courrier appears.^[2][4]
• 1631–1632 – Le Courrier universel is among the newspapers so named.^[2]
• 1770 – Rousseau uses it of the letters themselves.^[2]
• 1816 – Maine de Biran uses it of the mail vehicle.^[2]
• 1857 – The derivative courriériste “columnist” appears.^[3]
• c. 1950 – Moyen-courrier is used of aircraft.^[3]
• c. 1990 – Courriel is coined in Quebec.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (historical) A rider who went ahead of post carriages to prepare the relays; the official who carried the letters in the mail coach.^[9][2]
2. (dated) A messenger carrying dispatches: courrier de cabinet, a diplomatic courier.^[2][9][1]
3. The transport of letters and papers; the vehicle or aircraft that carries them: courrier aérien.^[9][2]
4. mail, post: the letters and papers sent or received: Paul lit son courrier chaque matin.^[9][1]
5. Courrier électronique: e-mail.^[9][1]
6. The title of some newspapers; a newspaper column: courrier des lecteurs, courrier du cœur.^[9][3]

Word family

• courriel
• long-courrier
• moyen-courrier

Related words

• courir
• coureur
• Italian corriere

Usage notes

Par retour du courrier means “by return of post”.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert