Etymologically
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furieux

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Pronunciation

Forms

furieux (feminine furieuse, masculine plural furieux, feminine plural furieuses)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin furiōsus (“raving, mad, frenzied”), formed on furia (“rage, frenzy”), whence furie.[2][3][4] Wiktionary gives it through Old French furieus.[1]

Littré compares Old Occitan furios, Spanish furioso and Italian furioso.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi's first record is fille furieuse “irascible, violent girl” in Jean Corbichon's translation of the Propriétés des choses (1372); the Grand Robert dates the word to about 1290 and the GLLF to the end of the 13th century.[2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

In 1437 the word is used of a madman given to violence, a sense kept in fou furieux and in law, where un furieux was a person who could be placed under guardianship.[2][6][5] Du Bellay used it for “seized by a violent passion”, especially love (before 1559), and of fire whirling furiously (1560); Montaigne has it for “very great, excessive” (1580).[6][2] The sense “expressing rage”, as in air furieux, is found in Boileau (1672), and heraldry took it for a bull rearing (1690).[2][5]

Timeline

  • 1372 – Furieuse “violent” in Corbichon.[2]
  • 1437 – Of a violent madman, in the customs of Anjou and Maine.[2]
  • 1560 – Du Bellay's fire that tournoyast furieux.[2]
  • 1580 – Montaigne's furieux desir de guarison.[2][5]
  • 1672 – Boileau's air furieux.[2]
  • 1690 – Furetière records the heraldic sense.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. In a violent rage; furious: être furieux contre son voisin.[7][1]
  2. Seized by violent madness: fou furieux; as a noun, a raving madman.[7][2]
  3. Driven by a wild, unbridled passion: une jalousie furieuse.[7][6]
  4. Violent, raging (of things): un vent furieux.[7][5]
  5. (familiar, before the noun) Very great, excessive: un furieux appétit.[2][7]
  6. (heraldry) Of a bull: rearing.[2][5]

Word family

  • furieusement
  • fureur
  • furie
  • furibond
  • Latin furia

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 901b
  5. ^ a b c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert