fronde

fronde¹ foliage

Etymology tree of fronde¹

inherited borrowed derived

Latin frōns

Catalan front

French front

Romanian front

Italian fronda

Italian fronte

Old French front

English front

Romanian frunte

Spanish frente

English frond

French fronde

From the same root · fronde¹

French affronter ← frōns

French effronté ← frōns

Latin cōnfrontō ← frōns

Latin frondeō ← frōns

Latin frondeus ← frōns

Latin frondifer ← frōns

Latin frondōsus ← frōns

Latin frontāle ← frōns

Latin frontālis ← frōns

Romanian fruntar ← frōns

French frontière ← front

English forefront ← front

English frontage ← front

English frontal ← front

English storefront ← front

English waterfront ← front

Romanian înfrunta ← frunte

Pronunciation

• France: /fʁɔ̃d/^[1]

Forms

fronde f (plural frondes)^[1]

Etymology

The word for foliage is borrowed from Latin frōns, frondis (“foliage”), first in the 15th century.^[2][3][4][5] The botanical sense was taken separately from the same word in scientific Latin, used by Linnaeus in the 18th century.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the 15th century in the Pastoralet, meaning foliage.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In this sense the word is now dated and literary, a synonym of frondaison.^[2][4] In botany it was used before 1831 by De Candolle for the leaf of a fern, which bears the sporangia, and it also names the flat, leaf-like thallus of certain algae.^[2][4] The GLLF also records a sense “spring growth of leaves” in 1876.^[4]

Timeline

• 15th century – First record, in the Pastoralet.^[2]
• Before 1831 – De Candolle uses it in botany.^[2]
• 1832 – Raymond's dictionary gives the senses for algae and ferns.^[4]
• 1876 – Le Temps uses it for the spring growth of leaves.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (dated, literary) Foliage.^[2][4]
2. (botany) The frond of a fern, which bears the sporangia.^[2][6]
3. (botany) The flattened, leaf-like thallus of some algae.^[2][6]

Word family

• frondaison

fronde² sling

Pronunciation

• France: /fʁɔ̃d/^[1]

Forms

fronde f (plural frondes)^[1]

Etymology

The word for the sling is probably inherited from Vulgar Latin *fundula (“little sling”), a diminutive of Latin funda (“sling”).^{[2][7][8][3][9]} The TLFi notes that the REW doubts this.^[2] The classical word gave Old French fonde, used from the early 12th century to the 17th, and the 13th century also had the variant flondre.^[2][7][8] Wiktionary explains the ⟨r⟩ through a contracted, metathesized form *flunda.^[1] Rey quotes Ernout and Meillet's view that the Indo-European origin of the Latin word is doubtful;^[7][10] Littré compared Ancient Greek σφενδόνη (sphendónē, “sling”).^[7][10]

Cognate with Italian fionda, Spanish honda, Old Occitan fonda and fronda.^[8][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Fronde is first found about 1240 in a life of Saint Francis, meaning the throwing weapon.^[2][7] The older fonde is in Benedeit's Voyage de saint Brendan in the early 12th century, and Littré quotes from the Quatre Livres des Rois: Prist sun bastun al puin, e sa funde “he took his staff in his fist, and his sling”.^[2][10]

Semantic evolution

The word kept the Latin sense of a throwing weapon and, by likeness of shape, came to name a child's toy (1678), passing from the sling whirled round to the lance-pierre; it also names a sling-shaped bandage (1732).^[7][4] The verb fronder replaced the older fonder “to throw” in 1611; it is no longer used for hurling stones, and since before 1662 it has meant to attack with satire and mockery.^[7][8]

In 1649 Fronde, with a capital, became the name of the revolt against the regent Anne of Austria and Mazarin during the minority of Louis XIV; from 1651 it also named the party of the insurgents.^[7][2] The name comes from the verb: according to Retz, the councillor Bachaumont said jokingly that the Parlement behaved like the schoolboys who used slings in the ditches of Paris and scattered as soon as they saw the lieutenant civil.^[8] The noun frondeur (1648), earlier a soldier armed with a sling (1290, fondaour), came to mean a member of that party (1662) and then anyone who criticizes those in power (1690).^[7] Un esprit de fronde “a spirit of revolt” is recorded from 1873.^[7]

Timeline

• Early 12th century – Fonde appears in Benedeit's Voyage de saint Brendan.^[2]
• c. 1240 – Fronde appears in a life of Saint Francis.^[2][7]
• Second half of the 13th century – The variant flondre appears in Doon de Mayence.^[2]
• 1290 – Fondaour “slinger” is recorded.^[7]
• 1611 – Fronder replaces the older fonder.^[7][8]
• 1648 – Frondeur is used of the rebels.^[7][2]
• 1649 – Fronde names the revolt against Mazarin.^[7][6]
• 1651 – Thomas Corneille uses the name in Le Feint Astrologue.^[2]
• 1678 – La Fontaine uses it for a child's toy.^[4][7]
• 1732 – The Dictionnaire de Trévoux records the bandage.^[4][7]
• 1873 – Esprit de fronde “spirit of revolt” is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A sling, a throwing weapon made of a leather pouch with a cord at each end.^[2][10]
2. A slingshot, a child's lance-pierre.^[2][1][7]
3. (surgery) A sling-shaped bandage.^[4][7]
4. (history) La Fronde: the revolt against the regent Anne of Austria and Mazarin during the minority of Louis XIV, and the party of the insurgents.^[6][2]
5. (figurative) A spirit of revolt or opposition: un esprit de fronde, un vent de fronde.^[6][1]

Word family

• fronder
• frondeur