Etymologically
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demi

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /də.mi/[1]

Forms

demi (feminine demie, masculine plural demis, feminine plural demies)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *dimedius, found in glosses, a remaking after Latin medius (“middle”) of classical dīmidius (“halved, half”), from dis- (“apart”) and “medius”.[2][3][4][5][1][6] From “medius” French also has mi, and, from its derivative “medianus” moyen.[3]

The word is only Gallo-Romance: compare Old Occitan demeg.[5] In most dialects it replaced “mi” as adjective and noun.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) it is an adjective before a noun, “forming half of a whole”: Demie Espagne vous velt enfin doner “he wants to give you half of Spain”.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

Philippe de Thaon (1119) already places it after the noun with et: vint et nof jurz e demi “twenty-nine and a half days”.[2] Before the noun it agreed in gender until the 14th century, Vaugelas, followed by Thomas Corneille and the Académie, made it invariable in compounds, although agreement is still found in the 18th century.[3] Compounds such as demi-aune (1176–1181), demi-heure (12th century), demi-dieu (13th century) and demi-frère (14th century) multiplied from the 17th century.[3]

Before an adjective or participle it means “half”, as in Chrétien de Troyes's demie traite “half drawn” (1181–1191), and à demi is in Charles d'Orléans (before 1465).[2][3] The feminine noun demie “half” dates from 1174–1176, the masculine from 1611 (Cotgrave); un demi became a large glass of beer, originally half a litre (1895, Jules Renard), and in team sports a half-back (1907).[2][3][8]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Demie Espagne, Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • 1119 – E demi after the noun, Philippe de Thaon.[2]
  • 1174–1176 – Feminine noun demie.[2]
  • 1181–1191 – Demie traite “half drawn”, Chrétien de Troyes.[2]
  • before 1465 – A demy, Charles d'Orléans.[2]
  • 1611 – Masculine noun demi, Cotgrave.[2]
  • 1895 – Demis de bière, Jules Renard.[2][8]
  • 1907 – A half-back in sport.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. half: before a noun, invariable and hyphenated (une demi-heure); after a noun with et: deux heures et demie, trois ans et demi.[9][1]

Adverb

  1. Half, partly: demi-nu, à demi, by half: à demi mort.[9][1]

Noun

  1. A half, (feminine) the half hour: sonner la demie.[10][1]
  2. A glass of beer, now about 25 centilitres: un demi pression.[3][1]
  3. (sport) A half-back: demi de mêlée, a scrum half.[10][3]
  4. (Polynesia) A person of mixed descent.[1][8]

Usage notes

The proverbial à trompeur, trompeur et demi “set a thief to catch a thief” is found about 1450 and in Furetière (1690).[8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 80b
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse