Etymologically
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exemple

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɛɡ.zɑ̃pl/[1]

Forms

exemple m (plural exemples)[1] Old French esample, essemple, essample (often feminine), relatinized as exemple in the 12th century.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin exemplum (“sample; copy; model, example”), first in the half-popular form “esample”.[5][2][3][6] Bloch and Wartburg think the Old French feminine may come from the neuter plural “exempla”; the feminine survived until the 19th century in une exemple d'écriture“, a copybook model.[7][2] Rey derives ”exemplum, “something set apart as a model”, from eximō (“to take out, remove”), of the family of emō (“to take; to buy”), Littré thought the derivation difficult.[2][8] Wiktionary says the borrowing displaced Old French “essainple”.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Vie de saint Alexis (mid-11th century) esample is news, a rumour: est vus l'esample par trestut le païs; in the Chanson de Roland it is a story from which a moral lesson is drawn.[5][2]

Semantic evolution

These first senses did not last.[2] About 1119 it was a fact supporting an assertion, about 1160 a lesson drawn from a situation, and in Marie de France (1180) a didactic tale.[5][2] A person worth imitating is found at the end of the 12th century (forme et examples de vie), and a punishment meant as a warning in Froissart (1381), whence faire un exemple and pour l'exemple.[5][2]

Pour exemple “to illustrate” is in Montaigne (1580), and par exemple in Furetière (1690); the exclamation par exemple ! expressing surprise arose by irony (1627).[5][2] A sentence cited to illustrate the use of a word is an exemple from 1653.[2][9]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Esample “news”, Vie de saint Alexis.[5]
  • c. 1100 – A moral tale, Chanson de Roland.[5]
  • c. 1119 – A fact supporting a claim, Philippe de Thaon.[5]
  • c. 1160 – A lesson, Roman d'Eneas.[5]
  • c. 1165 – The masculine exemple, Gautier d'Arras.[9]
  • 1381 – An exemplary punishment, Froissart.[5]
  • 1580 – Pour exemple, Montaigne.[5]
  • 1627 – The exclamation par exemple !.[2]
  • 1653 – A grammatical example.[2]
  • 1690 – Par exemple, Furetière.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An example, model to be imitated: donner l'exemple, suivre l'exemple de quelqu'un, prendre exemple sur.[4][10]
  2. A person held up as a model.[9][11]
  3. A warning, a punishment meant to deter: faire un exemple, que cela vous serve d'exemple.[11][2]
  4. A case, an instance that illustrates something: citer un exemple, sans exemple, unprecedented.[11][9]
  5. A sentence or quotation illustrating a word or rule in a dictionary or grammar.[9][2]
  6. Par exemple: for example, (familiar) par exemple !, expressing surprise.[2][4]

Word family

  • exemplifier
  • exemplification

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 291a
  7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)