grillon

Forms

grillon m (plural grillons)^[1] Old French grillet, grislet and gresillon; also grille and grillot (1690).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is a late form, a blend of two older names of the cricket, from Old French grillet and gresillon, which may have arisen in the Paris region.^[2][3][1] The first, once used in Normandy, the Centre, the East and the Franco-Provençal area, comes from a type ⟨grill-⟩ (as in Old Occitan grilh), from Latin gryllus (“cricket”) through Vulgar Latin *grīllus.^[2][3][5] The second, recorded from the late 12th century, was used in an area between Bayeux, Paris and La Rochelle and goes back to related forms with short /i/, like the dialect words grelet and guerlet.^[2][3] Ménage, about 1676, wrote that the Poitevins said ⟨grelet⟩, the Angevins ⟨gresillon⟩ and the Normans ⟨criet⟩, but that one should say ⟨grillon⟩ with the Parisians.^[2]

Bloch and Wartburg, who date it to 1372, call it another form of the first name, with its palatal /ʎ/ probably from the second, and think the /i/ may be expressive, imitating the insect's chirp.^[6][4] Guiraud also saw the influence of grelot “little bell”, whose sound is like the cricket's.^[3][4] The Latin word is probably from Ancient Greek γρύλλος (grúllos).^[1] Cognate with Italian grillo, Spanish grillo, Catalan grill and Romanian greier.^[7][6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The name is first found in the 1485 edition of Jean Corbichon's translation of the Propriétés des choses; the manuscript has grille gresillon.^[2] Bloch–Wartburg and the GLLF date it to the translation, 1372, the Petit Robert to 1463.^[6][8][9]

Semantic evolution

In Perceforest (15th century) grillon is the insect of the fable of the ant and the singing insect that starves in winter.^[10] In the 16th century Des Périers used grillons figuratively for whims in a person's head.^[10] In the 17th century Ménage recommended the Parisian grillon over the regional names.^[2] In the West of France grillons are also a dish of pork pieces fried in fat and served cold.^[1]

Timeline

• 1485 – Grillon appears in the printed edition of Corbichon's Propriétés des choses.^[2][3]
• 16th century – Des Périers uses grillons for whims.^[10]
• c. 1676 – Ménage recommends the Parisian grillon.^[2]
• 1690 – The forms grille and grillot are recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A cricket: a black jumping insect whose male chirps by rubbing its wing cases together;^[9][2][10] grillon du foyer, the house cricket, grillon des champs, the field cricket.^[9][2][10]
2. (cooking) In the West of France, pieces of pork fried in fat and served cold.^[1]

Word family

• taupe-grillon

Related words

• grelet
• grelot
• cricri
• Latin gryllus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 269b
6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette