forge

Forms

forge f (plural forges)^[1] Old French also faverge (c. 1175).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin fābrica (“workshop, smithy”),^[4][2][5][6] which is from faber (“craftsman in hard materials, smith”).^[2][5] The Latin word was stressed on its first syllable, as Littré notes; the old form faverge and the place name ⟨la Farge⟩ keep the /a/.^[7][2] Littré supports the etymology with place names: ⟨Forges⟩ in Normandy is ⟨Fabriciae⟩ in Latin.^[7] fabrique is a learned borrowing of the same Latin word.^[5][1]

Cognate with Occitan farga, Catalan farga and Spanish fragua.^[5][8][7] Spanish and Catalan forja were borrowed from French.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Roman d'Eneas (about 1160), meaning a workshop where metals are worked.^[4]

Semantic evolution

From the workshop the word passed by metonymy to its furnace (1690, Furetière).^[2][9] With the growth of metalworking it came in the 17th century to mean a large furnace for smelting ore, and in 1770 (Raynal) a works where cast iron is made into steel; the sense “ironworks business” (1690) has gone out of use with that state of industry.^[2][4] Maître de forges (1669, in Canada) was the 19th-century ironmaster and is still known.^[2] The English forge “smithy” (late 14th century) is from Old French forge.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 1160 – Forge in the Roman d'Eneas.^[4]
• c. 1175 – The variant faverge.^[2]
• Late 14th century – English forge “smithy” is recorded.^[10]
• 1669 – Maître de forges is recorded in Canada.^[2]
• 1690 – Furetière records the furnace and the ironworks senses.^[9][2]
• 1770 – Raynal uses it for a works turning cast iron into steel.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A forge or smithy, a workshop where metal is worked with fire and hammer: la forge du village.^[11][9]
2. The furnace with bellows on which the metal is heated.^[11][9]
3. (metallurgy) A works where metals are shaped, hot or cold.^[11][12]
4. (historical) An ironworks producing iron from ore: maître de forges.^[12][2]

Related words

• forger
• forgeron
• fabrique
• Latin fabrica
• English forge

Usage notes

Souffler comme une forge is said of someone short of breath, after the noise of the bellows.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e 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
5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 342b
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
12. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)