fauconnier

Forms

fauconnier m (plural fauconniers, feminine fauconnière)^[1] Old French fauconier;^[2][3] Middle French faulconnier.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French faucon + -ier, or else taken from Medieval Latin falconārius, recorded from the early 9th century.^[2][4][5] The base continues Late Latin falcō (“falcon”), recorded from the 4th century.^[6]

Cognate with Old Occitan falconier, Italian falconiere and Portuguese falconeiro.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as fauconier about 1165 in Guillaume d'Angleterre, attributed to Chrétien de Troyes, for the man who trains falcons for hunting.^[2][5] The GLLF and Rey date it to about 1160 and the GLLF names Benoît de Sainte-Maure.^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to a set of hunting terms formed on faucon, with fauconnière (13th century) and fauconnerie (about 1354).^[4] At court the grand fauconnier was the officer of the king's household who headed the royal falconry, a title recorded by Furetière in 1690.^[7][3] In horsemanship monter en fauconnier meant mounting a horse from the right, as falconers did because they carried the bird on the left fist.^[2][3]

English falconer was taken from Old French fauconier in the late 14th century, and is found as a surname from the late 12th century.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1165 – Fauconier in Guillaume d'Angleterre.^[2]
• 14th century – Littré quotes faulconnier from the Livre du roi Modus.^[3]
• Late 14th century – English borrows it as falconer.^[8]
• 1690 – Furetière records grand fauconnier.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A falconer, a person who trains and flies falcons and other birds of prey for hunting.^[9][2]
2. Grand fauconnier: the head of the royal falconry in the king's household.^[2][7]
3. (horsemanship) Monter en fauconnier: to mount a horse from the right side.^[2][3]

Related words

• faucon
• fauconnerie
• fauconneau
• Late Latin falcō

Usage notes

Fauconnier is also a French surname that began as the name of the occupation, like English Falconer.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert