flamboyer

Forms

flamboyer^[1] Old French flambeier, then flamboier (13th century); the spelling flamboyer dates from the 16th century.^[2][3] The Anglo-Norman forms include flambeer, flambier and flamboer.^[4]

Etymology

It is formed from French flambe + -oyer, first as Old French flambeier.^{[5][6][7][3][8]} The noun flambe (“flame”) is a dissimilated form of flamble, from Latin flammula (“small flame”), a diminutive of flamma (“flame”).^[5] Wiktionary instead derives the Old French verb from Vulgar Latin *flammizō, influenced by the noun.^[1] Littré calls it a derivative of flamber.^[9]

Littré compares Old Occitan flameiar, Catalan flamejar, Spanish flamear and Italian fiammeggiare.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) it means “to sparkle, gleam”: “Clere est la lune, les estoiles flambient” (“the moon is bright, the stars are blazing”).^[5][9]

Semantic evolution

In Old and Middle French it was used above all of the gleam of weapons and gems, as in the Chanson d'Antioche (nostre escu flamboiant) and Guesclin's helmet qui au soleil flamblie.^[9][4] The Anglo-Norman verb meant both “to burn, blaze” and “to glitter, flash”.^[4] The sense “to throw out flames” is recorded by Furetière in 1690, and by extension it is said of a bright, flickering light,^[2][3] and of eyes.^[7][9]

Its present participle flamboyant became an adjective of architecture for the late Gothic style (1830 in Rey, 1837 in the TLFi), named after the wavy, flame-like ornaments, and the name of a tropical tree with bright red flowers (1895).^[3][5] The noun flamboiement is first found in the 15th century.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Flambeier “to sparkle” appears in the Chanson de Roland.^[5][6]
• 12th century – The form flamboier replaces flambeier.^[3]
• 15th century – The noun flamboiement appears.^[3]
• 16th century – The spelling flamboyer appears.^[2]
• 1690 – Furetière records the sense “to throw out flames”.^[2][3]
• 1837 – George Sand uses flamboyant of architecture.^[5]
• 1895 – Flamboyant names a tropical tree.^[3][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) To blaze, to throw out bright flames by fits and starts: Le feu de camp flamboyait sous les pins.^[5][7][2]
2. By extension, to gleam or flash with a vivid light.^[5][2][7]
3. Of the eyes: to blaze, shine fiercely: Son regard flamboyait de colère.^[7][9]

Word family

• flamboyant
• flamboiement

Related words

• flambe
• flamme
• flamber
• flambeau

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 603b
9. ^ a b c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette