flamboyant

Forms

flamboyant (feminine flamboyante, masculine plural flamboyants, feminine plural flamboyantes)^[1] First written flambeant (late 12th century, Marie de France), then flamboiant (13th century) and flamboyant (mid-16th century, Amyot).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

Used as an adjective, it is the present participle from French flamboyer (“to blaze”).^[3][5][6] The older form flambeant was refashioned after the verb's later form.^[4] The verb is formed on flambe with the suffix -oyer, and that noun is a dissimilated form of Old French flamble (“flame”), from Latin flammula (“little flame”), a diminutive of flamma (“flame”).^[7][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

As flambeant it is found at the end of the 12th century in Marie de France, meaning shining like a flame, throwing bright gleams.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The adjective has followed the senses of the verb: what blazes and gives a bright light (épée flambeant in the 13th century), what shines like fire, and, by extension, what has the red colour of flame;^[2][4][5] Cotgrave in 1611 glosses couleur flamboyante as “a flame-colour”.^[8] The flaming sword of the archangel of Genesis is l'épée flamboyante.^[7][2]

In architecture, gothique flamboyant (1830) names the late Gothic style of the 15th century, whose ornaments are curved like flames; the noun le flamboyant followed in the middle of the 19th century.^[4][5] The TLFi's earliest records of these uses are 1837 (George Sand) and 1859 (Maxime Du Camp).^[7] In 1895 flamboyant became the name of a tropical tree with bright red flowers.^[4][7] Figuratively, a personnage flamboyant draws attention by his brilliance.^[6]

English took the word in 1832 for the architectural style; its sense “showy, ornate” (by 1870) followed a development in French.^[9]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – The verb flambeier appears in the Chanson de Roland.^[7]
• Late 12th century – Flambeant in Marie de France.^[2]
• 13th century – Flamboiant in the Chanson d'Antioche.^[2]
• Mid-16th century – The spelling flamboyant in Amyot.^[2]
• 1611 – Cotgrave records couleur flamboyante “flame-colour”.^[8]
• 1690 – Furetière records the sense “blazing”.^[2]
• 1830 – Gothique flamboyant in architecture.^[4][5]
• 1832 – English borrows flamboyant for the architectural style.^[9]
• 1859 – Used as a noun for the style.^[7]
• 1895 – The name of a tropical tree.^[4][7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Blazing, giving off bright flames or a vivid glow: une torche flamboyante.^[5][7]
2. Bright red, like a flame: des cheveux flamboyants; also of eyes, burning with anger.^[5][10]
3. (heraldry) Ending in a flame, of a wavy charge.^[5][6]
4. (architecture) Of the late Gothic style, with flame-shaped tracery: gothique flamboyant.^[5][10]
5. (figurative) Showy, drawing attention by its brilliance.^[6]

Noun

1. The flamboyant Gothic style.^[5][7]
2. The flame tree (Delonix regia), a tropical tree with bright red flowers.^[11][5][1]

Related words

• flamboyer
• flambe
• flamme
• flambeau
• flamber
• Latin flamma
• English flamboyant

Usage notes

Littré also records a feminine noun flamboyante, a rocket shaped like a comet.^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b Cotgrave, Randle (1611), A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, London: Adam Islip
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
12. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette