galbe

Forms

galbe m (plural galbes)^[1] First written garbe (1550); galbe from 1578.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian garbo (“form, manner in which a thing is made, grace”),^[5][2][3][4] found in Italian before 1529, in Castiglione.^[5][2] The Italian noun is probably a deverbal of garbare (“to please”) (15th century),^[5][6][3] which Bloch and Wartburg trace to a Gothic verb meaning “to arrange”, the source of gabarit.^[3][2][5][7] Pierre Guiraud preferred to connect the Italian word with Latin galba (“pot-bellied”), probably of Gaulish origin, through the senses “big belly, roundness, bearing”.^[2][8] Wiktionary also mentions Middle High German walbe (“slope”) as an alternative source.^[1] The form with ⟨l⟩ replaced the one with ⟨r⟩ in the 16th century;^[9] Henri Estienne already noted the pronunciation with /l/.^[9]

The word is also found in Provençal in 1530, before French.^[2][8][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ronsard used garbe in 1550 in the sense “grace, graceful manner”,^[2][3][4] and de garbe “gracefully” is found in 1551.^[5][2] Littré quotes Ronsard: Tant la garbe de prince au visage il avoit (“so princely a bearing he had in his face”).^[9]

Semantic evolution

In 1578 Henri Estienne used galbe for a graceful charm.^[5][2] The sense “harmonious outline of a body or face” goes back to a translation of Vasari (before 1574), and the sense “curved outline of a work of art” is found in architecture in 1676, in Félibien.^[2][5][8] In joinery it is the curved profile given to a piece of furniture.^[6][9]

In the 19th century avoir du galbe (1853) meant “to be elegant”, and the derivative galbeux “fashionable” (1865) was common until the end of the century; these general uses have gone.^[2] The verb galber (1907) continues se garber “to dress up” (1575), and galbé goes back to garbé “elegant” (1578).^[2]

Timeline

• 1530 – The word is recorded in Provençal.^[2][8]
• 1550 – Ronsard uses garbe “grace”.^[2][3]
• 1551 – De garbe “gracefully”.^[5][2]
• 1578 – Henri Estienne uses the form galbe.^[5][2][3]
• 1676 – Félibien uses it for the outline of a work of architecture.^[5][8][4]
• 1853 – Avoir du galbe “to be elegant”.^[2]
• 1907 – The verb galber appears.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (architecture, fine arts) The harmonious, more or less curved outline of a work of art: le galbe d'une amphore.^[6][5][4]
2. (joinery) The shaped, curved profile of a piece of furniture.^[6][9]
3. The harmonious outline of a human body or face: le galbe d'une épaule.^[6][4]
4. (architecture) The swelling of a column shaft.^[4]

Word family

• galber
• galbé

Related words

• gabarit

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 n o p q r Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette