Etymologically
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houx

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Pronunciation

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

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