Etymologically
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fille

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /fij/[1]
  • IPA (Quebec): [fɪj][1]

Forms

fille f (plural filles)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French fille, inherited from Latin fīlia (“daughter; girl”), the feminine of fīlius (“son”) (see fils).[2][3][4][1][5] The sense “prostitute” comes from the shortening of phrases such as “fille de joie” and “fille publique”.[1][6]

Cognate with Italian figlia, Occitan filha, Catalan filla, Spanish hija and Portuguese filha.[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Passion de Clermont (late 10th century), fillies Jerusalem “daughters of Jerusalem”, of women considered by their place of origin; about 1050 the Vie de saint Alexis uses it of a daughter.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word kept the Latin sense of filiation, extended to a female descendant (15th century) and to someone regarded as one's daughter (1640).[3][8] It became the name of some religious orders (Filles-Dieu, second half of the 13th century) and, figuratively, of something born of another (1601).[2][3]

As the opposite of garçon it meant a marriageable girl or unmarried woman (1528), whence rester fille and vieille fille, fille-mère (1797) has given way to mère célibataire.[3][2] Pejoratively it meant a prostitute, alone (1387) or in fille de joie (1389) and fille perdue (1606).[3][2] It also named a young woman in the queen's service (1606, fille d'honneur, 1655) and female servants: fille de salle, fille de cuisine.[3][2]

Timeline

  • Late 10th century – Fillies Jerusalem in the Passion de Clermont.[2]
  • c. 1050 – “Daughter”, in the Vie de saint Alexis.[2]
  • c. 1200 – Fillete “little girl”.[3]
  • 13th century – Petite-fille.[3]
  • 1389 – Fille de joie.[2]
  • 1528 – “Unmarried young woman”, in Marot.[2]
  • 1655 – Fille d'honneur in Molière.[2]
  • 1797 – Fille-mère.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A daughter: Ils ont deux filles et un fils.[9][1]
  2. A girl, as opposed to a boy: une petite fille, jeune fille, a young woman.[1][3]
  3. (dated) An unmarried woman: vieille fille, an old maid.[3][2]
  4. (dated) A female servant: fille de salle, fille de cuisine.[3]
  5. A member of certain religious orders: les Filles de la Charité.[3]
  6. (dated, pejorative) A prostitute: fille de joie, fille publique.[1][3]
  7. (figurative) A thing born of another.[3][2]

Word family

  • fillette
  • fifille
  • petite-fille
  • belle-fille

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 h i j k l m n o p Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 516b
  6. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert