eau

Pronunciation

• IPA: /o/^[1]

Forms

eau f (plural eaux)^[1] Old French egua (about 1050), ewe (about 1100), eaue (1185), still used in the 16th century, eau (1490); in the west eve, aive.^[2][3][4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French ewe, inherited from Latin aqua (“water”).^{[2][5][4][6][1]} Latin “aqua”, water as an element, as opposed to unda (“moving water, wave”), goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂ (“water, flowing water”), and has exact counterparts in Gothic 𐌰𐍈𐌰 (ahwa) and in Celtic place names.^[5][1]

The French form results from a long series of sound changes: “qu” was voiced and weakened to /w/; the initial “a” became “e”; in the west /w/ became /v/ (“eve”), elsewhere it was vocalised, giving “eaue”, then “eau”.^[5][4] Littré suggests that “eau” came from a Picard form “iaue”.^[7] Old French also had “aigue”, borrowed from the south.^[4]

Cognate with Romanian apă, Italian acqua, Occitan aiga, Catalan aigua, Spanish agua and Portuguese água.^[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 1050 the Vie de saint Alexis has L'egua li getent, si moilent sun liçon “they throw water on him and wet his bed”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

By 1185 eau was also a liquid secreted by the body (l'eaue du cuer li est as yex montee, tears).^[2] In the 16th century it named liquids other than pure water, as in eau-forte (1575), and eau-de-vie translates the alchemists' Latin aqua vitae.^[2][4] The amniotic fluid is les eaux from 1694.^[2][5]

The plural les eaux also named fountains (1690), mineral springs and spa towns, as in prendre les eaux (1622).^[5] Eaux et forêts dates from the 15th century.^[5] Of gems, eau meant transparency (1611), whence the ironic de la plus belle eau (1874).^[2] Laisser couler l'eau “to let things take their course” is found in 1587.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – Egua in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[2]
• c. 1100 – Ewe in the Chanson de Roland.^[2]
• 1185 – Eaue, a bodily fluid.^[2]
• 14th century – Eau-de-vie.^[4]
• 1484 – Morte-eau, neap tide.^[4]
• 1490 – The spelling eau.^[2][3]
• 1622 – Les eaux, a spa.^[5]
• 1694 – Les eaux, the amniotic fluid.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. water: un verre d'eau, eau douce, eau de mer.^[8][1]
2. rain: il tombe de l'eau.^[1]
3. A body or stretch of water, les eaux, the waters of seas, rivers and lakes.^[5][1]
4. A liquid preparation: eau de toilette, eau de Javel.^[1]
5. A bodily fluid: être en eau, to be bathed in sweat, perdre les eaux.^[1][2]
6. Les eaux: a spa: aller aux eaux.^[5]
7. The lustre of a gem: de la plus belle eau.^[2]

Word family

• eau-de-vie
• eau-forte

Related words

• aquatique
• évier
• aiguière
• Latin aqua

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 25, 63b
7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF