Etymologically
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enfance

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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]
  • 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