euh
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Pronunciation
Forms
euh (interjection); also written heu[2][1]
Etymology
It is an onomatopoeia.[2][3][4][5] Bloch and Wartburg date it to 1668 and add that it is obviously older.[5]
Earliest recorded meaning
Molière's École des femmes (1662) uses it to express annoyance or irritation.[2][6][3]
Semantic evolution
Since the early 18th century it has expressed hesitation, doubt and embarrassment, as in Regnard's Légataire universel (1708): Et sa fille Isabelle, euh ! la connois-tu ?[2][6] Racine's Plaideurs (1668) uses it to render a cough, and writers use it more generally to note inarticulate sounds.[2] The Académie recorded it in 1878.[2]
Timeline
- 1662 – Annoyance, Molière.[2]
- 1668 – A cough, Racine.[2]
- 1708 – Hesitation, Regnard.[2]
- 1878 – In the Académie's dictionary.[2]
Meanings
Interjection
- Er, um: marks hesitation, doubt or embarrassment, or the search for a word.[4][1]
- Used to put off answering a question.[2]
- (written) Represents an inarticulate sound, a grunt or cough.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ 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
- ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
- ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert