enseigne

Forms

enseigne f (plural enseignes)^[1] Old French ensenna (about 980), ensaigne, enseingne, enseine and ensigne.^[2][3] In the sense “ensign, officer” the word is masculine: un enseigne, l’enseigne de vaisseau.^[4][5][6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin īnsignia (“badges of office, decorations”), a neuter plural taken as a feminine singular in late Latin.^[6][2][5][1] Its singular, meaning a distinctive mark, is the neuter of the adjective īnsignis (“marked out, remarkable”), formed from in- and signum (“mark, sign, military standard”).^[2][4][7] Littré adds that the old texts sometimes have the word as a masculine, which comes straight from the Latin neuter singular.^[8]

The masculine noun for the officer (1515) is short for porte-enseigne “standard-bearer”.^[4][5] The same Latin words were later borrowed as insigne, its doublet.^[2][1]

Cognate with Italian insegna, Old Occitan ensenha and Old Spanish enseña, all with similar senses.^[9][2][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 980 as ensenna in the Passion du Christ, in ensenna fei “he made a sign”.^[6][2] About 1100 the Chanson de Roland uses it for a rallying sign and a standard: Geifreid d'Anjou qui l'enseigne teneit “Geoffrey of Anjou, who held the standard”.^[6][8]

Semantic evolution

The first sense, a mark or token by which something is recognized, lasted into the 19th century.^[2] From the 12th to the 18th century it also meant “proof”, whence à bonne enseigne (1382) “on good evidence” and à telle enseigne que, which today means “so much so that”.^[2][5] From the 11th century it was a sign of command serving as a rallying point for troops, then a war cry (12th century); from the late 15th century it meant a flag, a sense now literary.^[2]

In the second half of the 15th century it came to mean a board with an emblem or inscription hung on a shop or inn, the usual sense today.^[6][2] This gave the proverb à bon vin point d'enseigne (1548) “a good product needs no advertising” and être logé à la même enseigne (1787) “to be in the same predicament”.^[2][7] With the growth of chain retailing in the late 20th century it came to mean the trade name of a retail group.^[2]

As a masculine noun, from the 16th century it named the officer who carried the flag, used until the 19th century, and then, as enseigne de vaisseau, a junior officer of the navy, still in use.^[2][9][5] The English word ensign was taken from the Old French word in the early 15th century, and its sense of a soldier who bears the flag dates from the 1510s.^[11]

Timeline

• c. 980 – Ensenna fei “he made a sign” in the Passion du Christ.^[6][2]
• c. 1100 – The Chanson de Roland uses it for a standard and rallying sign.^[6][8]
• 12th century – It is used for a proof and as a war cry.^[2]
• 1382 – À bonne enseigne “on good evidence” is recorded.^[2]
• Second half of the 15th century – The Mystère du Vieil Testament mentions a house a lenseigne du lion d'argent, a shop sign.^[6][2]
• 1515 – The masculine enseigne “standard-bearing officer” appears.^[4][5]
• 1531 – Porte-enseigne is recorded, written porteenseigne.^[2]
• 1548 – The proverb à bon vin il ne faut point d'enseigne is recorded.^[2]
• 1573 – Du Puys uses it for the officer who carries the flag.^[6]
• 1643 – Fournier's Hydrographie uses it for a naval officer.^[6][9]
• 1691 – Enseigne de vaisseau is recorded.^[5][2]
• 1787 – Féraud records être logé à la même enseigne.^[7]
• Late 20th century – It comes to mean the trade name of a retail chain.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (feminine; archaic) A mark, token or proof;^[5] à bonne enseigne, on good grounds;^[5] (literary) à telle enseigne que, so much so that.^[5]
2. (feminine) A standard serving as a rallying sign for troops, such as the eagle of the Roman legions;^[5] (literary) a flag: marcher enseignes déployées.^[5]
3. (feminine) A signboard with an emblem or inscription that a shop, inn or business puts up to draw the public: l'enseigne lumineuse de la boulangerie;^[5][1] être logé à la même enseigne, to be in the same plight.^[5][1]
4. (feminine) The trade name under which a chain of shops operates, and by metonymy the chain itself.^[5][1]
5. (feminine; card games) A suit.^[1]

Noun

1. (masculine; historical) An ensign, the officer who carried the flag of an infantry company.^[5][6][1]
2. (masculine) Enseigne de vaisseau: a naval officer ranking below a lieutenant de vaisseau, equal to a second lieutenant (second class) or a lieutenant (first class) in the army.^[5][6]

Word family

• porte-enseigne

Related words

• enseigner
• insigne
• signe
• seing
• Latin īnsignia
• English ensign

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 o p q r s t u Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 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. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
10. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
11. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com