fleur
Pronunciation
- IPA: /flœʁ/[1]
Forms
fleur f (plural fleurs)[1] Old French flur, flor, flour;[2] fleur from the 13th century.[2][3][4]
Etymology
It is inherited from Old French flor, inherited from Latin flōs (“flower; the finest part”) (accusative flōrem).[5][2][6][1][7] The Latin word goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“to bloom”),[1] also seen in Gothic 𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰 (blōma), German Blume and English bloom.[2][8] Why it became feminine in Gallo-Romance is not clear.[6]
In the phrase “à fleur de”, level with the surface of, the TLFi sees the idea of the topmost or best part, or farming uses such as “fleur de lait”, cream;[5] Wiktionary connects these senses with a Germanic word for “floor”,[1] which Littré rejected, citing Italian a fior d'acqua.[9][6]
Cognate with Italian fiore, Romanian floare, Occitan flor and Spanish flor.[9][10]
Earliest recorded meaning
The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) uses it both for flowers painted on a shield and, figuratively, for the flower of France, its best men.[5][9]
Semantic evolution
Like Latin flōs, it meant the best part of something: la fleur de la chevalerie, fine fleur, fleur de farine “fine flour” (1121–1134).[5][2] It also meant youthful freshness (à la fleur de l'âge) and, figuratively, a girl's virginity.[2][1] À fleur de “on the surface of” is from the 14th century: à fleur de l'iaue.[5][6]
The fleur de lis (12th century) became the emblem of the French kings.[2][4] Familiar phrases include être fleur bleue “to be sentimental”, faire une fleur “to do a favour” and comme une fleur “easily”.[2][8] Plural fleurs “menses” is a different word in origin, Late Latin fluor (“flow”), which merged with it.[6]
Timeline
- c. 1100 – Flor, flur in the Roland.[5][2]
- 1121–1134 – “Fine flour” (Philippe de Thaon).[5]
- 12th century – Fleur de lis.[2][4]
- 14th century – À fleur de “level with”.[5][6]
- 1580 – Fleuret “foil”, after Italian.[6]
- 1680 – Fleuriste.[6]
Meanings
Noun
- A flower or blossom; a flowering plant: en fleur.[8][1]
- The best part of something: la fine fleur.[8][1]
- Faire une fleur à quelqu'un (familiar): to do someone a favour.[8][1]
- À fleur de: level with the surface of: à fleur d'eau, à fleur de peau.[8][1]
- Fleur de sel: fine sea salt from the surface of salt pans.[1]
- The grain side of a hide.[11]
Word family
- affleurement
- affleurer
- chou-fleur
- défleurir
- fleurdelisé
- fleurdeliser
- fleurette
- fleuri
- fleurir
- fleuriste
- fleuron
Related words
- effleurer
- efflorescence
- efflorescent
- fleuret
- fleureté
- floraison
- floral
- flore
- inflorescence
- passiflore
- Latin flōs
- English flower
- English flour
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
- ^ a b c d e f g h 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
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
- ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 630a
- ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
- ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)