fourmiller

Forms

fourmiller^[1] Old French formiier, formier, fourmier, Judeo-French fromier.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French formiier, inherited from Latin formīcō (“to itch”), from formīca (“ant”), reshaped in the 16th century with the suffix -iller.^[2][3][4][5] The GLLF also allows a derivation of the Old French verb from fourmi.^[6] The origin of the Old French forms fremillon and fremiller still remains to be cleared up.^[2]

Cognate with Italian formicare, Old Occitan formicar and Spanish hormiguear.^[7][8][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Judeo-French form fromier “to stir, swarm” is found in Rashi's glosses at the end of the 11th century, and before 1188 Partonopeus de Blois uses formiier for a place full of moving creatures.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The reshaped verb fourmiller appears in Ambroise Paré, first with the Latin sense of a tingling, pricking sensation like that of ants (1552 according to Bloch and Wartburg and the DHLF; 1575 in the TLFi).^[7][3][2] From 1587 it meant “to swarm, move about in great numbers like ants”, a sense already known for formier in the 13th century.^[2][3] It then extended to things merely present in great numbers, without movement, and fourmiller de (Montaigne, 1595) to being full of something.^[3][2]

The verb gave fourmillant (1608) and fourmillement (1636), which replaced fourmiement (1545), and it reshaped Old French formière into fourmilière.^[3][7]

Timeline

• Late 11th century – Fromier “to stir” appears in Rashi's glosses.^[2]
• Before 1188 – Formiier “to swarm” is used in Partonopeus de Blois.^[2]
• 1552 – The reshaped form fourmiller appears.^[7][4][3]
• 1575 – Paré uses it for a tingling sensation.^[2]
• 1587 – La Noue uses it for “to swarm”.^[2][8]
• 1595 – Montaigne writes fourmiller de.^[2]
• 1636 – Fourmillement replaces fourmiement.^[3][7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To swarm, to move about in great numbers like ants, les moustiques fourmillaient au bord de l'étang.^[9][2]
2. To be very numerous, to abound, les coquilles fourmillent dans ce manuscrit.^[9][10]
3. Fourmiller de: to be full of, to teem with.^[9][10]
4. To tingle, to have a pricking sensation, les doigts me fourmillent.^[9][8]

Word family

• fourmillant
• fourmillement

Related words

• fourmi
• fourmilière
• Latin formīca

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 l m 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 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 722b
6. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)