exquis

Forms

exquis (feminine exquise, masculine plural exquis, feminine plural exquises)^[1] Old French esquis, feminine esquise.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French esquis (“sought after, refined”), the past participle of Old French esquerre (“to seek out”), from Vulgar Latin *exquaerō, a remaking of Latin exquīrō (“to search out carefully”) after the simple verb quaerō (“to seek”).^[2][4][5][6] The modern form was refashioned after exquīsītus (“chosen, sought after, refined”), the past participle of the classical verb.^[2][4][5] Wiktionary adds that the /k/ was at first lost and later restored after the Latin word.^[1] The classical verb is formed from Latin ex- + quaerō.^[6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gautier de Coinci speaks of viande esquise “choice food” about 1223.^[2][4] Littré quotes esquise “sought, tested” from Gautier d'Arras's Ille et Galeron in the 12th century.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective first had the Latin value “remarkable of its kind”, used until the 19th century and still found in Montesquieu;^[4][5] it could also qualify unpleasant things, torments in Calvin and tortures in d'Aubigné, and in medicine douleur exquise keeps this sense of “intense, sharply felt”.^[4][7]

From the 15th century the idea of a pleasant impression on the senses prevailed: dame exquise “of refined delicacy” is recorded about 1450.^[2][4] From Marguerite de Navarre (before 1549) the word praises food, drink and scents.^[4][2][6] It also meant “precious” of objects (late 16th century), was applied to qualities of character (1859) and, in Jules Renard (1894), to a delightful person.^[4] The surrealist cadavre exquis is a related phrase.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1223 – Gautier de Coinci speaks of viande esquise.^[2]
• 1393 – The form exquis is recorded, in voies exquises.^[2][5]
• c. 1450 – Dame exquise “of refined delicacy”.^[2][4]
• 1507 – Jean Lemaire uses the adverb exquisement.^[2]
• before 1549 – Marguerite de Navarre uses it for a pleasing impression on the senses.^[4][6]
• 1855 – George Sand uses exquisité.^[2][4]
• 1894 – Jules Renard applies it to a delightful person.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of refined delicacy, exquisite: un parfum exquis.^[7][3]
2. (of a person) Delightful, charming.^[4][7]
3. (dated or literary) Excellent, perfect of its kind: un goût exquis.^[7][3]
4. (medicine) Douleur exquise: a sharp, clearly localized pain.^[7]
5. (obsolete) Elaborate, studied: supplice exquis, a torture made as painful as possible.^[3][7]

Word family

• exquisément
• exquisité

Related words

• quérir
• Latin exquīsītus

Usage notes

The adverb is written exquisément with an acute accent since the Académie of 1932, by analogy with adverbs such as assurément; earlier editions wrote exquisement.^[2]

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 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
3. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert