Etymologically
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fumée

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /fy.me/[1]

Forms

fumée f (uncountable)[1]

Etymology

It is the feminine past participle, used as a noun, from French fumer (“to smoke”).[2][3][1] The verb continues Latin fūmō, from fūmus (“smoke”).[4][1] It replaced Old French fum “smoke”, from that Latin noun, which disappeared early but survives in southern dialects, as do Italian fumo and Spanish humo.[4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Voyage de saint Brendan (early 12th century) has it for the vapour rising from something burning or hotter than the air.[2]

Semantic evolution

About 1230 Guillaume le Clerc writes of la fumee de orgoil, the intoxication of pride, and, from the early 15th century les fumées were the vapours thought to rise to the brain from wine.[2][5] Before 1559 Du Bellay uses it for fleeting things and vague talk.[5][7] In hunting, les fumées are the droppings of deer (14th century).[4][6] Phrases include se dissiper en fumée (Corneille, 1640), s'en aller en fumée (1671) and the proverb il n'y a pas de fumée sans feu, in Charles d'Orléans as onques feu ne fut sans fumée.[7][5] The smoke of tobacco is recorded in 1690.[5] In fashion gris fumée is a colour from 1909.[8]

Timeline

  • Early 12th century – In the Voyage de saint Brendan.[2]
  • c. 1230 – La fumee de orgoil.[2]
  • 14th century – Fumées, the droppings of deer.[4]
  • Early 15th century – Onques feu ne fut sans fumée, in Charles d'Orléans.[7]
  • 1640 – Se dissiper en fumée, in Corneille.[7]
  • 1690 – Tobacco smoke.[5]
  • 1909 – Gris fumée in a fashion magazine.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Smoke, the gases and fine particles given off by something burning: la fumée d'un incendie, noir de fumée.[9][10]
  2. Tobacco smoke: faire des ronds de fumée.[10]
  3. Steam, vapour given off by something warm: la fumée qui sort des naseaux d'un cheval.[10]
  4. (in the plural, literary) The vapours of wine, les fumées de l'orgueil, the intoxication of pride.[5][7]
  5. (hunting, in the plural) The droppings of deer.[4][1]
  6. Partir en fumée, s'en aller en fumée: to come to nothing, il n'y a pas de fumée sans feu: there is no smoke without fire.[11][7][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)