enclume

Forms

enclume f (plural enclumes)^[1] Old French anclume (about 1160); Anglo-Norman spellings include englume, enclune and encluin.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French anclume, inherited from Late Latin incūdinem (“anvil”) (an accusative), a late form of classical incūs (“anvil”).^[2][3][5][6] In French the ending was replaced by a suffix, as in coutume, and the /l/ is probably due to inclūdō (“to shut in”), since the piece being worked was often held fast on the anvil.^[5][2][7] Rey suggests that the Latin verb had taken the sense “to fix the piece being worked”.^[3] The Latin noun comes from cūdō (“to beat, forge”), whose root Rey also finds in Slavic verbs meaning “to forge”.^[3]

Cognate with Italian incudine, Old Occitan encluge, Catalan enclusa, Spanish yunque and Portuguese incude.^[8][5][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1160, spelled anclume, in the Roman d'Eneas, for the iron block on which metals are beaten.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept the Latin sense of a smith's anvil.^[3] In 1611 Cotgrave records it in anatomy for one of the small bones of the middle ear, the incus, named because it touches the marteau (malleus).^[2][3][7] From 1676 it also named, by likeness of function, any tool or part made to take a blow, as the shoemaker's or roofer's anvil.^[3][7]

It entered several figurative phrases: être entre l'enclume et le marteau “to be caught between two opposing parties” is found as early as Guiot de Provins about 1206, il vaut mieux être marteau qu'enclume in Furetière in 1690, and remettre sur l'enclume “to rework (a piece of writing)” in the Académie's dictionary of 1718.^[7][3] The technical derivatives enclumeau (late 14th century) and enclumette (1755) are rare.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1160 – Anclume appears in the Roman d'Eneas.^[2]
• c. 1206 – Guiot uses the phrase entre l'enclume et le marteau.^[7]
• Late 14th century – First record of enclumeau.^[3]
• 1611 – Cotgrave records the anatomical sense.^[2][7]
• 1676 – Félibien uses it for a tool that takes a blow.^[7]
• 1690 – Furetière records il vaut mieux être marteau qu'enclume.^[7]
• 1718 – The Académie records remettre son ouvrage sur l'enclume.^[7][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. An anvil, the steel-faced iron block on which metals are forged.^[10][11][12]
2. A tool or part of an instrument made to take blows, as used by shoemakers or roofers.^[10][11][12]
3. (anatomy) The incus, the second small bone of the middle ear.^[11][1]
4. Être entre l'enclume et le marteau: to be caught between two opposing sides, bound to suffer whichever wins.^[11][8][12]
5. Remettre sur l'enclume: to rework a piece of writing.^[10][8]

Word family

• enclumeau
• enclumette

Related words

• Latin incūs

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
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. 4, 632a
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
12. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)