Etymologically
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dix

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dis/[1]
  • IPA (Quebec): [d͡zɪs][1]
  • IPA (Louisiana): [d͡ʒis][1]
  • IPA: /di.z‿/[1]

Forms

dix (invariable)[1] Old French dis and diz; the spelling with ⟨x⟩ is recorded from 1585.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French dis, inherited from Latin decem (“ten”).[5][2][6][1][7] The Latin word goes back to Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥, also the source of Ancient Greek δέκα (déka), German zehn and English ten.[1][2][3]

Cognate with Romanian zece, Italian dieci, Occitan detz, Catalan deu, Spanish diez and Portuguese dez.[3][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

As dis, diz it is found from about 1050; the Chanson de Roland has Ou diz ou vint (“either ten or twenty”).[4][2][9]

Semantic evolution

As in Latin it could express an indefinite number, either small (en dix lignes, 1711) or large (je vous l'ai dit dix fois).[5][2][10] It has been used as an ordinal since the 16th century, and as a noun since the 12th: dix pour cent (1585), the ten of a suit of cards (1680) and dates such as le dix février (1649).[2][5][11]

The compounds dix-sept, dix-huit and dix-neuf are 16th-century contractions of Old French dis e set, dis e uit and dis e neuf.[2][6] The ordinal dixième (12th century) replaced disme, from Latin decimus, which survives as dîme.[2] In Belgium le dix-heures is a mid-morning snack.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Dis, diz.[2][4]
  • 12th century – Used as a noun, dis e set, dis e uit, dis e neuf.[2]
  • 16th century – Used as an ordinal; the compounds dix-sept etc.[2]
  • 1585 – Dix pour cent in Noël du Fail; the spelling dix.[5][3]
  • 1680 – A playing card, in Richelet.[5]

Meanings

Numeral

  1. ten: un enfant de dix ans.[3][12]
  2. Tenth, in dates, page numbers and names of rulers: page dix, Charles X.[12][10]
  3. An indefinite number, few or many: en dix lignes, je vous l'ai répété dix fois.[10][12]

Noun

  1. The number ten; the tenth day of a month: le dix du mois.[12]
  2. A playing card marked with ten pips.[12][11]
  3. (familiar) Ça vaut dix: it's remarkable.[12]
  4. (Belgium) Le dix-heures: a mid-morning snack.[2]

Word family

  • dixième
  • dizain
  • dizaine
  • dix-sept
  • dix-huit
  • dix-neuf

Usage notes

It is pronounced [dis] at a pause and as a noun, [diz] before a vowel or mute h, and [di] before a consonant.[5][10][3]

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 c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 23b
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  10. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  11. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  12. ^ a b c d e f Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)