holà

Forms

holà (interjection, invariable), also a masculine noun, le holà^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a compound from French ho + là.^{[4][3][2][5][1]} Bloch and Wartburg list it under the exclamation oh, which they call onomatopoeic, with ho as a spelling variant.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in the poems of Gilles Le Muisit, about 1350, as a call that serves to stop someone.^[4][3] Bloch and Wartburg date it only to the 15th century, in Charles d'Orléans,^[6] whose line Si lui dis-je, mon cueur, holà ! Littré quotes.^[5]

Semantic evolution

From the start holà was used to hail someone and, above all, to make them stop what they were doing or saying.^[4][7] The second use, to calm or halt someone, has since become old-fashioned; speakers now prefer hé, là !.^[7][2]

As a masculine noun it entered set phrases: faire le holà “to put an end to a quarrel” in the 1590s,^[7][8] which gave way to mettre le holà “to call a halt to something” in the 17th century.^[6][7] Bloch and Wartburg also cite the phrase punir hola from a legal text of the early 15th century.^[6] Littré records special uses in riding schools, where the master called it to end a pupil's exercise, and at sea, as a reply to a hail.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 1350 – First recorded, in Gilles Le Muisit's poems, as a call to stop.^[4]
• 15th century – Charles d'Orléans uses it in a song.^[5][6]
• 1593 – Faire le holà is recorded.^[8]
• 1640 – Scarron uses mettre le holà.^[8]
• 1644 – The date most dictionaries give for mettre le holà.^[7][2]

Meanings

Interjection

1. Used to hail or call someone: Holà ! Quelqu'un ?^[2][9]
2. (dated) Used to restrain or halt someone, “steady!”, “not so fast!”^[2][9]

Noun

1. Mettre le holà à something: to put a stop to it, to restore order.^[2][9]

Related words

• ho
• là
• oh

Usage notes

Littré also records holà ho ! as a call to someone.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d 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
5. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
9. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)