foëne

Forms

foëne f (plural foënes)^[1] Also spelled foène and fouëne, and fouine.^[2][3][4] Old French foine, foisne and foene.^[4][2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French foene, inherited from Latin fuscina (“trident”).^{[4][2][5][1][6]} In Old French ⟨oi⟩ and ⟨oe⟩ were confused, so this form is a spelling of foine or foisne, and the modern forms with ⟨oë⟩ and fouine split from it;^[4][2] the modern spelling has influenced the pronunciation.^[2]

Cognate with Italian fiocina.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the 13th-century Oustillement au villain foisne is a fork or trident used by fishermen.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Middle French used the word both for a fork to load sheaves (1374) and for a pronged staff for killing fish in water.^[2][8] The farm sense lives on in Walloon, Lorraine and Champagne dialects.^[2][1] In modern French foëne is the fishing harpoon, while fouine keeps both senses.^[2][9]

Timeline

• 12th century – The Robert dates foine to this century.^[4]
• 13th century – Foisne “fishermen's trident” is recorded.^[2]
• 1374 – Fuyne “fork for loading sheaves” is recorded.^[2]
• 15th century – Foyne names a staff for killing fish.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. (fishing) A harpoon or fork with several barbed prongs, used to spear large fish or flatfish.^[2][3][6][1]
2. (regional) A pitchfork for handling hay.^[1]

Related words

• fouine
• Latin fuscina

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
4. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 912b
6. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 3610
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse