Etymologically
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doigt

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Pronunciation

Forms

doigt m (plural doigts)[1] Old French deie (a plural of uncertain gender), dei (about 1120), doi (13th century) and doit; the ⟨g⟩ was added after the Latin.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *ditus, a contraction of Latin digitus (“finger, toe; finger's breadth”).[2][3][5][6] Old French “deie” “finger's breadth” comes from the neuter plural “*dita” with collective value, which survives in Lorraine as a word for the finger.[2][5] The ⟨g⟩ of the spelling was restored after the Latin, in the 16th century according to Rey, earlier according to the GLLF, and Wiktionary adds that it also kept the noun apart from the verb form “doit”.[3][4][1] Rey notes that there is no common Indo-European name for the finger and that “digitus” is often linked with “*deik-” “to show”, as in dīcō (“to say”).[3]

Cognate with Romanian deget, Italian dito, Occitan det, Catalan dit, Spanish dedo and Portuguese dedo.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has the plural deie as a measure: Cuntre dous deie l'ad del furrel getee (“he drew it two fingers' breadth out of the scabbard”).[2][9]

Semantic evolution

Philippe de Thaon has demustrer al dei “to point at” about 1120, and Chrétien de Troyes uses the word for a toe (1174–1180).[2][3] Phrases followed: être à deux doigts de “to be within an inch of” (Rabelais, 1552), compter sur ses doigts (before 1570) and savoir sur le bout des doigts (Molière, 1665).[2] Mon petit doigt me l'a dit is found in 1605, au doigt et à l'œil “under close control” in 1819, and les doigts dans le nez “effortlessly” in 1912.[10][3]

It has named the finger of a glove since 1605, doigtier (1392), doigter and doigté (1798) are derivatives.[3][5] In African French un doigt de banane is a single banana from the bunch.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Dous deie in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1120 – Demustrer al dei in Philippe de Thaon.[2]
  • 1174–1180 – A toe, in Chrétien de Troyes.[2]
  • 1552 – Être à deux doigts de in Rabelais.[2]
  • 16th century – The spelling doigt.[3]
  • 1665 – Savoir sur le bout des doigts in Molière.[2]
  • 1912 – Les doigts dans le nez.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A finger: les cinq doigts de la main, compter sur ses doigts.[7][11]
  2. A toe: doigt de pied.[3][1]
  3. The finger of a glove.[12][3]
  4. A finger's breadth; a small amount: un doigt de vin.[12][1]
  5. Montrer du doigt: to point at, lever le doigt: to put up one's hand.[12]
  6. Être à deux doigts de: to be within an inch of.[3]
  7. Savoir sur le bout des doigts: to know perfectly, les doigts dans le nez: effortlessly.[3]
  8. Mon petit doigt me l'a dit: a little bird told me.[10][1]

Word family

  • doigter
  • doigté
  • doigtier

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  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, 76b
  7. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  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 Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  12. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)