fleurer

Forms

fleurer^[1]

Etymology

It is from Old French fleur (“smell, odour”) (earlier flaör), with the verb ending -er.^[2][3][4] The noun, found about 1175 in the romance of Horn and in its later form in the mid-13th century, still lives in the dialects; it comes from Vulgar Latin *flātor, an alteration of classical flātus (“breath, blowing”), perhaps under the influence of foetor (“stench”).^[2][3] The Latin noun is from flō (“to blow”).^[3] Bloch and Wartburg derive the Vulgar Latin noun from *flātō (“to blow”), and explain the commoner Old French flairor as remade after the verb flairer.^[5] The same Old French noun is the source of English flavour.^[6][1]

Littré took the verb for another form of ⟨flairer⟩, and Wiktionary gives that as a possibility.^[7][1] Rey thinks that its sense “to smell good” was probably helped by fleur “flower”.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb is first found in a 14th-century manuscript of the fables of Ysopet I, where another edition reads flairoit.^[2] Charles d'Orléans wrote in the 15th century: Mauvoise odeur m'est plus fleurant que basme “a bad smell is sweeter to me than balm”.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Until the 17th century it often meant “to sniff, smell” like flairer;^[5] in the 16th century Rabelais has fleurer, sentir et estimer ces beaulx livres, and Paré tells of a poisoned carnation given to a companion à fleurer.^[7] The language then kept flairer for the active sense and gave fleurer the neutral sense of giving off a smell, usually a pleasant one, as in fleurer bon.^[7][3]

Fleurer comme baume, “to smell very sweet”, also meant figuratively to promise profit, and a good reputation could fleurer comme baume.^[7] From the end of the 19th century, in Huysmans (1891), the verb is used figuratively for “to suggest, smack of”.^[8][3]

Timeline

• c. 1175 – The noun flaör “smell” in Horn.^[2]
• 14th century – Fleurer in a manuscript of Ysopet I.^[2]
• 15th century – Charles d'Orléans uses fleurant.^[7]
• 16th century – Rabelais, Montaigne and Paré use it for smelling.^[7]
• 1891 – Huysmans uses it figuratively, “to suggest”.^[3][8]

Meanings

Verb

1. (literary) To give off, exhale (a smell, usually pleasant); fleurer bon: to smell good: La cuisine fleurait le pain chaud.^[9][2][3]
2. (figurative) To suggest, smack of: Cette histoire fleure le scandale.^[9][8][3]
3. (rare) To smell, catch a waft of (something pleasant).^[3][1]

Related words

• enfler
• English flavour

Usage notes

A second fleurer, a baking term from fleur “flour” (1832), means to dust the peel or the bread with fine bran or flour so that the dough does not stick; from it comes fleurage.^[3][8][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert