Etymologically
Log in

grondin

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the French word grondin

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1598 Guillaume Bouchet, Serées More words from the 16th century
Ultimate origin
Latin grundiō

Forms

grondin m (plural grondins)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French gronder + -in.[2][1] The fish was named for the grunting noise it makes when caught, like a pig's.[3][4][5][6] The verb is from Latin grundiō, a variant of grunniō (“to grunt”), which gave grogner.[3]

English gurnard comes from the related Old French gournart.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first meant a pig, in Guillaume Bouchet's Serées (1598).[2][6] The GLLF dates this sense to 1584.[5]

Semantic evolution

As the name of a sea fish of the genus Trigla it is first recorded in 1769, in Duhamel du Monceau's treatise on fishing; the Grand Robert and the Petit Robert give 1796.[2][5][8][9] It is also used in apposition, as in rouget grondin.[6][9] Littré also records it in Senegal for another fish, the triggerfish known as vieille.[4]

Timeline

  • 1598 – Guillaume Bouchet uses grondin for a pig.[2][6]
  • 1769 – Duhamel du Monceau uses it for the gurnard.[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A gurnard, an edible sea fish of the family Triglidae, with a large bony head and a spiny, usually pink or red body.[2][9]
  2. Rouget grondin: the red gurnard, often loosely called rouget.[9][2]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Grondin.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/grondin. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·