flûte

Forms

flûte f (plural flûtes)^[1] Old French flaüte (about 1165) and flehute (12th century), then the reduced fleuste (1220) and fluste (14th century); flûte dates from the 17th century.^[2][3] The circumflex marks the long vowel that came from the contraction of the Old French hiatus.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French flaüte, of uncertain origin.^[3][4][5] The TLFi and the DHLF take it as an onomatopoeia: the vowels ⟨a-u⟩ render the sound of breath in a pipe, and the initial ⟨fl-⟩ probably comes from the words around Latin flō (“to blow”).^[3][2][6] Guiraud proposed a deverbal noun of flahuter (“to blow making the sound hu”), a compound of flaer (“to blow”) and huter (“to call from afar”); the idea is debated but accounts for the element ⟨-hute⟩.^[2][4] Wiktionary instead derives it from Old Occitan flaut.^[1]

The DHLF derives Italian flauto and Spanish flauta from the Old Occitan word.^[2] Littré cites the Picard form flahute and Portuguese frauta.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chrétien de Troyes' Guillaume d'Angleterre (about 1165) has flaüte for a wind instrument pierced with holes.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From the instrument the word passed by metonymy to the player (19th century).^[2] By likeness of shape it named a tall narrow stemmed glass (1669), the legs, familiarly and in the plural (1756), and a long thin loaf (1793, pain en flûtes 1806); in Switzerland it is also a salted biscuit stick.^[2][3] The phrases jouer des flûtes (1867) and se tirer des flûtes (1880) for running off have aged but are still known.^[2]

The interjection flûte! (1858) expresses disappointment, like zut, and soon served as a mild euphemism; it has almost gone out of use.^[2][3]

Timeline

• c. 1165 – Flaüte in Chrétien de Troyes.^[3][2]
• 1220 – Fleuste in Robert de Clari.^[3]
• 1245 – The derivative fleütor “flute player” is recorded.^[2]
• 1669 – Used for a tall narrow drinking glass.^[3][2]
• 1756 – Jambes de flutte for thin legs.^[3]
• 1793 – Used for a long thin loaf.^[2]
• 1828 – Nodier uses the derivative flûtiste.^[2]
• 1858 – The interjection is recorded.^[3][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A flute, a wind instrument made of a tube pierced with holes: flûte traversière, flûte à bec, flûte de Pan.^[8][5]
2. A tall, narrow stemmed glass: flûte à champagne.^[8][1]
3. A long thin loaf of bread, like a baguette.^[8][3]
4. (familiar, plural) The legs;^[8][2] jouer des flûtes, to run off.^[8][2]

Interjection

1. An exclamation of impatience or disappointment, like zut.^[8][2]

Word family

• flûtiste
• flûter
• flûtiau
• flûteau

Related words

• flageolet

Usage notes

The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert have a separate flûte (1559, fluste), a ship used to carry naval stores, perhaps from Dutch fluit, which is recorded later;^{[4][5][9][10]} Bloch and Wartburg and the GLLF derive it from the Dutch word, and the GLLF dates it to Amyot.^{[4][5][9][10]}

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 612a
7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
9. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
10. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse