dieu

Pronunciation

• IPA: /djø/^[1]
• IPA (Quebec): /dzjø/^[1]
• IPA (Louisiana): /d͡ʒø/^[1]

Forms

dieu m (plural dieux, feminine déesse)^[1] Deo and Deus (842), then Deu and Dieu (11th–12th century); Old French declined nominative deus, dex, diex, object deu, dieu.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French Deu, inherited from Latin deus (“god”), from Old Latin “deivos”, from Proto-Italic *deiwos, from Proto-Indo-European *deywós.^[4][2][1][5] Rey traces it to a root “*dei-” “to shine”, which named the bright sky as a deity and the heavenly beings as opposed to earthly humans; it is the oldest Indo-European name of divinity, also present in Ancient Greek Ζεύς (Zeús) and in Latin diēs (“day”) (see jour).^[2][6] “Deus” supplanted dīvus, the title of deified emperors.^[6]

Cognate with Romanian zeu, Italian dio, Occitan dieu, Catalan déu, Spanish dios and Portuguese deus.^[6][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Strasbourg Oaths (842): Pro Deo amur “for the love of God”, and in quant Deus savir et podir me dunat “in so far as God gives me knowledge and power”.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

Found in the very first French text for the God of Christianity, the word has also named a god of polytheism since the 12th century.^[2][7] It is used as an exclamation (Deus !, about 1100) and in countless oaths, many of them disguised to avoid blasphemy: tudieu (1537), corbleu and morbleu (1612), parbleu (about 1650) and sacrebleu (1808).^[4][2][8] Dieu merci comes from the older par la merci Dieu “by the grace of God”.^[2]

C'est son dieu, of a person or thing one idolizes, dates from 1606.^[4] The sailors' à Dieu vat (1684), a wish for a safe voyage, became “come what may” in the 19th century.^[2] adieu dates from the 12th century and demi-dieu from 1488.^[8] In the French of francophone Muslims Dieu est grand renders Arabic allahu akbar.^[2]

Timeline

• 842 – Deo and Deus in the Strasbourg Oaths.^[4]
• c. 1100 – Deus ! as an exclamation, in the Chanson de Roland.^[4]
• 12th century – A god of polytheism, adieu.^[2][8]
• 1488 – Demi-dieu.^[8]
• 1537 – Tudieu.^[8]
• 1606 – C'est son dieu in Nicot.^[4]
• 1612 – Morbleu and corbleu.^[8]
• 1684 – À Dieu vat at sea.^[2]
• 1881 – Bondieuserie.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. Dieu: God, the supreme being of monotheism.^[7][1]
2. A god, a deity of polytheism: les dieux de l'Olympe.^[1][2]
3. A person or thing one idolizes: L'argent est son dieu.^[4]
4. In exclamations: mon Dieu !, grand Dieu !, Dieu merci, thank God.^[2][6]
5. (familiar) Le bon Dieu: God, il n'y a pas de bon Dieu, it's bound to happen.^[9]

Word family

• adieu
• bondieusard
• bondieuserie
• demi-dieu
• corbleu
• morbleu
• parbleu
• palsambleu
• sacrebleu
• tudieu

Related words

• divin
• déesse
• Latin deus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 57a
6. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
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 d e f g Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF