houx

Pronunciation

• IPA: /u/^[1]

Forms

houx m (invariable)^[1] Old French hos, hous.^[2] The ⟨h⟩ is aspirated.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French hos, borrowed from Frankish *hulis (“holly”),^{[3][2][4][5][1][6]} reconstructed from Old High German hulis, later “huls”, and Middle Dutch huls.^[3][2] Compare German Hülse and English holly.^[1][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Roman de Renart (about 1200) has hos for the holly;^[3] the GLLF cites Chrétien de Troyes (about 1175).^[8]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its sense, the evergreen shrub with prickly leaves and red berries, used at Christmas.^[9][8] Derivatives include houssaie “holly grove” (12th–13th century), houssine, a switch of holly (15th century), and houssoir “broom”, from the verb housser “to sweep” (1269–1278).^[2][4] houspiller “to scold” comes from housser crossed with Old French pigner “to comb”.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 1200 – Hos (Renart).^[3][5]
• mid-13th century – Hulseie “holly grove”.^[2]
• 1269–1278 – Housser “to sweep”.^[2]
• c. 1450 – Houspiller.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Holly, the evergreen shrub Ilex.^[9][1]
2. Petit houx: butcher's broom.^[9]

Word family

• houssaie
• houssine

Related words

• houspiller
• English holly

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e 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
4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 16, 261b
7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b 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