crucifix

Forms

crucifix m (invariable)^[1] Old French crocefis, crecefis and crucefit.^[2][3] Anglo-Norman crucefix, crucifi and crucifis.^[4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin crucifixus, the past participle of crucifīgō (“to crucify”), used as a noun.^[2][3][5][6] The verb is formed from crux (“cross”) and fīgō (“to fasten”).^[3][7] The noun meant Christ in Christian Latin, and the crucifix in Medieval Latin (877, in Du Cange).^[2][3]

Cognate with Old Occitan crucific, Spanish crucifijo and Italian crocifisso.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chrétien de Troyes uses Crocefis in Érec et Énide (1170) for Christ, the Crucified.^[2][3] The Anglo-Norman Dictionary has a record from about 1136–1137.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Written with a capital, the word named Christ himself, but it kept only the metonymic sense, a cross bearing the figure of Christ crucified, found from the late 12th century (crecefis, Garin le Loherain).^[3][2] In 13th-century Paris the tailleres de crucefix were a trade of image carvers.^[7]

Littré records mangeur de crucifix for a false devotee.^[7] Slang created crucifix à ressort (1866), a joking name for a dagger or a pistol.^[3]

Timeline

• 877 – Medieval Latin crucifixus names the crucifix.^[2][3]
• 1170 – Chrétien de Troyes uses Crocefis for Christ.^[2]
• Late 12th century – Crecefis is used for the cross bearing Christ.^[2][3]
• 1223 – Gautier de Coinci writes crucefit.^[2]
• 13th century – The Livre des métiers names the carvers of crucifixes.^[7]
• 1866 – Crucifix à ressort is slang for a dagger or a pistol.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A crucifix, a cross bearing the figure of Jésus-Christ crucified: un crucifix de bois.^[6][2][7]
2. (familiar, dated) Mangeur de crucifix: a hypocritical devotee.^[7]
3. (slang, dated) Crucifix à ressort: a dagger or a pistol.^[3]

Related words

• crucifier
• crucifixion
• croix
• ficher
• Latin crux

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette