enclouer

Forms

enclouer^[1] Old French and Anglo-Norman encloer, also encloier, encluer.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French en- + clou + -er.^{[2][4][5][6][7]} The base noun is from Latin clāvus (“nail”).^[6] Littré derived it instead from Late Latin inclāvō, and Wiktionary gives both explanations, the second through Vulgar Latin *inclāvō.^[8][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as enclöer “to nail” at the end of the 12th century, in Clemence of Barking's Anglo-Norman Life of St Catherine of Alexandria.^[2][9]

Semantic evolution

Its general sense “to nail, to fasten with nails” gave way to clouer, but the verb lived on in technical uses.^[9] About 1205 it meant to lame a horse by driving a nail into the quick when shoeing it, and since 1461–1466 it meant to put a cannon out of use by driving a steel spike into its touchhole.^[2][9] Richelet (1680) records a figurative sense, “to hamper, to paralyse”, now old.^[10] In 1948 surgery took it up for fixing a fracture with a metal nail.^[5][2]

The noun enclouure (1174–1175) meant a difficulty or obstacle before it named the horse's wound (1600), and enclouage, in the Encyclopédie in 1755, names the action in both technical senses.^[9][2]

Timeline

• Late 12th century – Enclöer “to nail” in Clemence of Barking.^[2][9]
• c. 1205 – Used of laming a horse with a nail, in the Enfances Vivien.^[2][9]
• 1461–1466 – Used of spiking a cannon, in Jean de Bueil's Jouvencel.^[2][9]
• 1680 – Richelet records the figurative sense.^[10]
• 1755 – Enclouage in the Encyclopédie.^[2][9]
• 1948 – Used in surgery for nailing a fracture.^[5][2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To lame an animal, especially a horse, by driving a nail into its hoof when shoeing it.^[5][8][10]
2. (historical) To spike a cannon, putting it out of use by driving a nail into its touchhole: Avant de battre en retraite, les artilleurs enclouèrent leurs pièces.^[5][2][8]
3. (surgery) To fix a fracture or broken bones with a metal nail.^[5][2]
4. (rare) To nail, to fasten with nails, or to nail shut so as to make unusable.^[2][10]
5. (figurative, old) To hamper, to paralyse.^[10]

Word family

• enclouage
• enclouure
• désenclouer

Related words

• clou
• clouer
• déclouer
• Latin clāvus

References

1. ^ a b c 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. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
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. 2, 770b
8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse