envoyé

Forms

envoyé m (plural envoyés, feminine envoyée)^[1] The earliest record is the compound fors envoiié “sent out” (1290).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is the past participle, used as a noun and an adjective, from French envoyer.^[4][2][5] The verb is Old French enveier, from Late Latin inviō (“to walk upon, make one's way”), from via (“road”).^[4][6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in 1290, in the Glossaire de Douai, as fors envoiié, literally “sent out”.^[2][3] The noun for a person sent on a mission is found in the late 15th century, in Commynes.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

From a person sent somewhere with a message or task, the noun narrowed to a minister sent by a sovereign to another court: Cotgrave in 1611 glosses it as a special messenger sent by a prince to his ambassador abroad,^[8][2] and the Académie in 1694 defines it as a minister of a sovereign prince or republic, of lower rank than an ambassador, as in envoyé extraordinaire.^[9][10] In the 20th century envoyé spécial came to mean a journalist sent to report on an event.^[2][3]

As an adjective it took a figurative sense in 1867: a reply or retort that is bien envoyé hits home by its aptness and boldness.^[7][3][4]

Timeline

• 1290 – Fors envoiié “sent out” is recorded in the Glossaire de Douai.^[2][3]
• Late 15th century – Commynes uses the noun for a person sent on a mission.^[2][7]
• 1611 – Cotgrave records the sense “minister, envoy”.^[2][8]
• 1694 – The Académie defines envoyé as a minister below the rank of ambassador.^[9]
• 1867 – Bien envoyé is used of an apt retort.^[7][3]
• 20th century – Envoyé spécial appears.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A person sent somewhere to carry out a mission, a messenger.^[7][4][2]
2. A diplomat sent by a state or sovereign to another, an envoy, historically below the rank of ambassadeur: envoyé extraordinaire.^[2][10][9]
3. Envoyé spécial: a correspondent sent to report on an event on the spot.^[2][7][1]

Adjective

1. That has been sent: Une lettre envoyée trop tard.^[7][10]
2. (figurative, familiar) Of a reply or retort, apt and telling: c'est bien envoyé.^[7][4]

Related words

• envoyer
• envoi
• envoyeur

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e 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
5. ^ Wiktionnaire (French Wiktionary), fr.wiktionary.org
6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Cotgrave, Randle (1611), A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, London: Adam Islip
9. ^ a b c Académie française (1694), Le Dictionnaire de l'Académie françoise, 1st ed., Paris: Coignard
10. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette