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griffe

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Etymology and origin of the French word griffe

Confidence
Disputed
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1175–1180 Roman de Renart More words from the 12th century
Borrowed from
Frankish *grif
Ultimate origin
Frankish *grif

Pronunciation

Forms

griffe f (plural griffes)[1] Old French masculine grif (1175–1180); the form criffe is found from the 14th to the 16th century, and the feminine griffe from 1469.[2][3]

Etymology

The origin is disputed.[2][3] Bloch and Wartburg and Picoche take the Old French masculine noun grif to be borrowed from Frankish *grif, a form reconstructed from Old High German grif (“grip, act of seizing”);[4][5][2] compare Middle High German grif and German Griff.[2] Wiktionary traces the Old High German word to Proto-Germanic *gripiz.[1] The TLFi and the DHLF give this or, as the other possibility, a back-formation from French griffer;[2][3][4] Bloch and Wartburg think the verb is rather derived from the noun.[2][3][4] The GLLF makes the modern noun the feminine of the Old French one, which it derives from Old High German grīfan (“to seize”).[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Roman de Renart (1175–1180), a character strikes des gris, “with his claws”: the pointed, hooked claw of an animal, or a paw armed with claws.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

The word, at first masculine, became feminine in the 15th century (1469).[3][2] By metonymy it meant the paw itself (about 1500); from 1623 the claws became a symbol of aggressiveness and greed, as in coup de griffe (1694) and montrer les griffes (about 1695).[3][2][6]

From 1545 it named various tools and parts shaped like a claw.[2][3] In 1798 it was a stamp imitating a signature, then the imprint of such a stamp (1835), and figuratively the mark of a person's style in his works (1852, Flaubert).[2][3] By metonymy it came to mean the label sewn inside a garment with the name of its maker (1951), whence the fashion designer's brand and the verb dégriffer (1965).[3][2]

Timeline

  • 1175–1180 – The masculine grif in the Roman de Renart.[2]
  • 14th century – The form criffe appears.[2][3]
  • 1469 – The feminine griffe.[2][3]
  • c. 1500 – Used for the paw itself.[3]
  • 1545 – Names tools and parts shaped like a claw.[2][3]
  • 1623 – A symbol of aggressiveness and rapacity.[2][3]
  • 1694 – Coup de griffe.[3][6]
  • 1798 – A stamp imitating a signature.[2][3]
  • 1852 – Flaubert uses it for the mark of a writer's personality.[2][3]
  • 1951 – The maker's label in a garment.[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A pointed, hooked claw at the end of the toes of certain animals; by extension, a paw armed with claws: les griffes du chat.[8][2][7]
  2. (figurative) The claws as a symbol of aggressiveness: montrer les griffes, to threaten, coup de griffe, a spiteful attack.[8][2][7]
  3. A tool or part shaped like a claw, used to grip something.[2][6]
  4. A stamp reproducing a signature, or the imprint it makes.[2][8]
  5. The characteristic mark of an artist's or writer's style: On reconnaît la griffe du peintre.[2][1]
  6. A label with the name of a couturier sewn into a garment; hence, a designer brand.[2][1]

Word family

  • griffu
  • dégriffer

Usage notes

The Grand Robert has a separate word griffe (masculine, 1724), from the Spanish of the West Indies grifo “frizzy (of hair)”, for a person of mixed Black and mulatto parentage;[9][7] Littré records it too.[9][7] A regional griffe “scratch”, a back-formation from griffer, is common in Belgian French.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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 s t u v w x y z 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 c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
  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 Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

  • malle · also from Frankish
  • houx · also from Frankish
  • halle · also from Frankish
  • gué · also from Frankish
  • canif · also from Frankish
  • haïr · also from Frankish
  • étai · also from Frankish
  • barguigner · also from Frankish
Cite this entry

“Griffe.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/griffe. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·