French has two words croquet: an almond biscuit, from croquer, and the game, borrowed from English.[1][2][3][4]
croquet1 almond biscuit
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 1642, Oudin
Pronunciation
- IPA: /kʁɔ.kɛ/[4]
Forms
croquet m (plural croquets)[4]
Etymology
It is formed from croquer (“to crunch”) with the suffix “-et”.[5][6][1][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
Oudin's dictionary (1642) has it for a kind of cake.[5][6]
Semantic evolution
It belongs to a set of names of crunchy foods made on croquer: croquante (1716), croquette (1740), still usual for sweet and savoury preparations and for pet food, and croquant (1829), now limited to biscuits.[6] Croquet itself survives regionally for a thin, dry almond biscuit.[2][7]
Timeline
Meanings
Noun
Word family
- croquette
- croquant
croquet2 croquet (game)
Pronunciation
- IPA: /kʁɔ.kɛ/[4]
Forms
croquet m (plural croquets)[4]
Etymology
It is borrowed from English croquet (about 1855),[6][1][2][9] which comes either from a Norman-Picard form of crochet (“hook”) (see croc), as Littré and Wiktionary hold, or, more probably according to Rey and the Petit Robert, from Middle French “croquet” “sharp blow”, from croquer in the sense “to strike”.[6][2][3][4] The Grand Robert dates a form “crocket” to 1835.[1]
Earliest recorded meaning
The Grand Robert and Petit Robert date it to 1835, Rey and the GLLF give 1866 (Larousse).[1][2][6][7]
Semantic evolution
The game was truly launched in England in 1867 and gave way to the beginnings of lawn tennis; in France it had some success at the end of the 19th century and until about 1930, and is now mostly played in families.[6] Unlike cricket it was fully adapted, with the final t silent, though it was sometimes written crocket.[6] The word also names the equipment and the ground.[6] The verb croquer “to croquet (a ball)” (1869) adapted English to croquet (1858) and has gone out of use.[5][6]
Timeline
Meanings
Noun
Word family
- croquer
Related words
- crochet
- croc
- English croquet
Usage notes
A third croquet (about 1935), a dialect form of crochet, is a serpentine braid used in dressmaking.[7][1][5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f 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
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
- ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
- ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 18, 48b
Borrowed into
- English croquet
Related etymologies
- flibustier · also from English
- véranda · also from English
- mail · also from English
- missile · also from English
- antilope · also from English
- rosbif · also from English
- porter · also from English
- romantique · also from English
Cite this entry
“Croquet.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/croquet. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.
Last edited on . ·