hépatite

Forms

hépatite f (plural hépatites)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from New Latin hepatitis, a term of the physicians' Latin,^[2][3][4][1] from the adjective Late Latin hepatitis (“of the nature of the liver”),^[2][5][6] from Ancient Greek ἡπατῖτις (hēpatîtis, “of the liver”), from ἧπαρ (hêpar, “liver”).^[2][5][7] Bloch and Wartburg note that the Greek word is not recorded, perhaps by chance.^[4] Wiktionary analyses the Latin word as the Greek noun with the suffix -ītis of names of inflammatory diseases.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1655, in Chauvelot, for an inflammation of the liver.^[5][2] The TLFi's first record is from 1660, in the second edition of a French translation of Jean Fernel's Pathologie,^[6] and Bloch and Wartburg give 1743.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its medical meaning, an inflammation of the liver of toxic or infectious origin,^[5][3] and Littré already gave it as a medical term.^[7] In the 20th century viral forms were told apart: hépatite virale, hépatite A (passed on by mouth), hépatite B and hépatite C (passed on through the blood), and later D and E.^[3][6]

Timeline

• 1655 – First recorded, in Chauvelot.^[5][2]
• 1660 – Used in a French translation of Fernel's Pathologie.^[6]
• 1743 – The date Bloch and Wartburg give for the disease name.^[4]
• 1762 – The Académie records the word.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (medicine) hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver, of toxic or viral origin.^[3][6][5]

Related words

• hépatique
• Ancient Greek ἧπαρ (hêpar)

Usage notes

A separate hépatite (Grand Robert 1), a precious stone of the colour of liver, was recorded from 1542 in Du Pinet's translation of Pliny; it was taken from Latin hepatites, the “(stone) coloured like the liver”, and is now archaic.^[6][2][5][4]

References

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