enfance

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɑ̃.fɑ̃s/^[1]

Forms

enfance f (plural enfances)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin īnfantia (“early childhood; children; inability to speak”), from īnfāns (“not speaking; child”), the source of enfant.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} The TLFi describes it as taken from classical Latin.^[6] Bloch and Wartburg note that the word is only Gallo-Romance, with Old Occitan enfansa.^[2]

Compare Spanish infancia and Italian infanzia.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The poem Grant mal fist Adam (about 1120–50) uses it for the first period of human life.^[6] The Roncevaux has Li clers fut sages dès qu'il issit d'enfance “the clerk was wise as soon as he left childhood”.^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

By about 1160 (Eneas) it also meant a child's way of acting, naivety, childishness, and about 1260 Philippe de Novare has revenir en anfance “to go back to childhood, become senile”; the Roman de la Rose says of Old Age that she retornoit ja en enfance.^[6][7] The AND records Anglo-Norman senses such as “minority”, “childish game” and “story of a hero's childhood exploits”.^[8] Racine (1667) uses it collectively for children, and Régnier (before 1613) for the beginning of something: l'enfance de l'art.^[6][9][4]

Timeline

• c. 1120–1150 – Childhood.^[6]
• c. 1160 – Childishness, Eneas.^[6]
• c. 1260 – Revenir en enfance, Philippe de Novare.^[6]
• c. 1360 – D'enfance “since childhood”, Froissart.^[4]
• Before 1613 – “Beginning, origin”, Régnier.^[6]
• 1667 – Children collectively, Racine.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. childhood, the period of life from birth to adolescence: une enfance heureuse, souvenirs d'enfance, la petite enfance.^[10][1]
2. Children collectively: la protection de l'enfance.^[10][6]
3. The beginning of something: l'enfance de l'humanité, c'est l'enfance de l'art, it's child's play.^[4][10]
4. Retomber en enfance: to become senile.^[6][10]

Related words

• enfant
• enfantin
• infantile
• Latin īnfantia

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 663b
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
9. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
10. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert