dauphin

Forms

dauphin m (plural dauphins)^[1] Old French daufin, later remade as dauphin after the Classical Latin form.^[2][3] As a title, Dalfin (1245) and dalphin, then doffin (1410) and dauphin (1420).^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French daufin, inherited from Vulgar Latin *dalphinus (recorded in 710), an altered form of Classical delphīnus (“dolphin”), which is from Ancient Greek δελφίς (delphís, “dolphin”).^[2][5][4] Bloch and Wartburg and the GLLF take the French word as borrowed from Old Occitan dalfin; the TLFi finds that unnecessary.^[6][7][2] Rey connects the Greek word with δέλφαξ (délphax, “young sow”), as if the animal were the “piglet” of the sea.^[4]

The title comes from a personal name: Late Latin Delphinus (4th century), Dalphinus (5th century), borne by a bishop of Bordeaux, became the surname of the lords of the Dauphiné (1110–1140) and of Auvergne (1167), then a title, and gave the province its name.^[4][3] According to Rey the dolphin in the arms of these lords is a play on their name, not its origin;^[4] Wiktionary and Etymonline instead derive the title from the dolphin of their arms.^[1][8]

Cognate with Italian delfino, Spanish delfín and Portuguese delfim.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as daufin in a manuscript of the Roman d'Alexandre (mid-12th century), naming the dolphin.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Besides the animal, the word names things shaped like it: the spout of a fountain, the curved end of a downpipe, and a constellation recorded by the Académie in 1835.^[2][10]

As a title it was borne by the lords of the counties of Albon and Viennois, whose lands were called the Dauphiné; it is a title in Auvergne from 1281 and in the Dauphiné from 1282.^[4] After the Dauphiné passed to the French crown in 1349, the title dauphin de Viennois (1360) was given to the eldest son of the king.^[4][2] Dauphin alone has named the heir to the throne since 1420.^[4][2][3] The feminine daufine (1297) named the dauphin's wife.^[4]

Under Louis XIV it was used figuratively of the only son of a family, or of anyone much pampered (1690),^[4][11] and today it names the expected successor of an important person in politics or business (1941).^[4][2] English took the title in the early 15th century.^[8]

Timeline

• Mid-12th century – Daufin “dolphin” in the Roman d'Alexandre.^[2]
• 1245 – Dalfin as the name of the lords of the Dauphiné.^[4]
• 1281–1282 – It is a title in Auvergne and in the Dauphiné.^[4]
• 1297 – The feminine daufine is recorded.^[4]
• 1349 – The Dauphiné passes to the French crown, and the title to the king's eldest son.^[2][6]
• 1360 – Dauphin de Viennois is applied to the heir of the French crown.^[4]
• 1420 – Dauphin alone names the heir to the throne.^[3][4]
• Early 15th century – English borrows the title.^[8]
• 1690 – Furetière records it for the only son of a family.^[11][4]
• 1941 – Used of the expected successor of a politician.^[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A dolphin, a toothed marine mammal with a beaked snout.^[10][2]
2. (heraldry) A dolphin used as a charge.^[1]
3. (technical) The dolphin-shaped spout of a fountain; the curved lower end of a downpipe.^[2][10]
4. (astronomy) The Dolphin, a constellation of the northern hemisphere.^[2]
5. (history) The title of the lords of the Dauphiné.^[2][7]
6. (history) The title of the heir apparent to the French throne: Monseigneur le Dauphin.^[2][10]
7. (figurative) The expected successor of a head of state or other important person.^[10][2]
8. A runner-up.^[1]

Word family

• dauphine
• dauphinat

Related words

• delphinarium
• delphinal
• Latin delphinus
• English dauphin

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 35a
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF