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Etymology and origin of the French word glane

glane1 gleaning

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1223 Gautier de Coinci, Miracles de Nostre Dame
Ultimate origin
Late Latin glenō
Etymology tree of glane1
inherited borrowed derived
French glaner
French glane

Pronunciation

Forms

glane f (plural glanes)[1] Middle French glenne (14th century), glaine (15th century); dialect Norman lianne, Berry glene and Geneva glenne.[2]

Etymology

The word for gleaning is a deverbal noun from French glaner (“to glean”).[3][4][5][6][7] The verb comes from Late Latin glenō (“to gather ears of grain”), recorded in the 6th century and of Gaulish origin.[8][1] The derivative is also found in Old Occitan glena and Catalan glenya.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded about 1223 in Gautier de Coinci's Miracles de Nostre Dame, for a handful of ears of grain picked up in the fields after the harvest.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

Besides the handful of gleaned ears, the word named the act of gleaning itself, as in droit de glane “right of gleaning”.[3][5][4] In the Roman de Renart the phrase en nostre glane means “in our power”.[2] In the 14th and 15th centuries glenne and glaine appear in Latin charters cited by Du Cange.[2]

By likeness to a bunch of ears, Cotgrave (1611) used it for what one gathers after others, and Oudin (1660) for a string of onions or a cluster of pears on one branch.[5][4] Zola extended the act of gleaning to picking up anything left behind (1886).[5] The proverb il y a encore beau champ pour faire glane “there is still plenty left for others to do” is recorded by Furetière and the Académie.[9][3]

Timeline

  • c. 1223 – Gautier de Coinci uses glane for a handful of gleaned ears.[3][4]
  • 14th century – The form glennes is recorded.[2]
  • 1611 – Cotgrave records the figurative sense “what is gathered after others”.[5]
  • 1660 – Oudin records glane for onions and pears.[5][4]
  • 1835 – The Académie records il y a encore beau champ pour faire glane.[3]
  • 1886 – Zola uses it for picking up what is left behind.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (dated) The act of gleaning: droit de glane, the right to glean.[6][4][3]
  2. (dated or regional) A handful of ears of grain gleaned after the harvest.[6][4][10]
  3. Glane d'oignons: a string of onions tied together, also glane de poires, pears clustered on one branch.[4][5][2]
  4. (figurative) A small amount, or what one gathers after others: une maigre glane de souvenirs.[4][5]

glane2 wels catfish

Confidence
Uncertain
First attested
1872 Larousse

Pronunciation

Forms

glane m (plural glanes)[4][5]

Etymology

The word for the catfish is first recorded in Larousse's dictionary in 1872.[4][5] The Grand Robert calls its origin unknown and the GLLF obscure.[4][5] Larousse traces it to Greek γλάνις (glánis),[10] and Wiktionary to Latin glanis (“a river fish, probably the catfish”), which is itself from the Greek word.[1]

Timeline

  • 1872 – Larousse records glane for the catfish.[4][5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (zoology) The wels catfish, a large freshwater fish of Central Europe with three pairs of barbels, also called silure.[4][5][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  3. ^ a b c d e f g 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
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 153a
  8. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Glane.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/glane. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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