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hydrologie

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Etymology and origin of the French word hydrologie

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1614 Landrey, Hydrologie, ou discours de l'eaue More words from the 17th century
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek ὕδωρ,λόγος

Pronunciation

  • /i.dʁɔ.lɔ.ʒi/[1]

Forms

hydrologie f (uncountable)[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from French hydro- + -logie.[2][3][1][4] The first element goes back to Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”),[5] the second to λόγος (lógos, “discourse, treatise”).[6][4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1614 in the title of Landrey's book Hydrologie, ou discours de l'eaue (“hydrology, or discourse on water”), in the sense “study of waters and their properties”.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

The word kept its general sense, the study of waters, their composition and properties;[2][7] Littré still defined it as the part of natural history that deals with waters and their kinds.[2][7] Other books were titled in the same way, such as Combes's Hydrologie ou discours des eaux (1645).[8] In the 19th century it was specialized in medicine for the study of mineral waters and their healing properties: the TLFi and the Petit Robert date this to 1824 (Nysten), the GLLF to the Larousse of 1873.[2][9][6] The Académie has recorded the word since 1835.[2] Specialized branches are named by adjectives, such as hydrologie marine (also called oceanography) and hydrologie fluviale.[9][10]

Timeline

  • 1614 – Landrey's Hydrologie, ou discours de l'eaue is published.[2][8]
  • 1645 – Combes publishes Hydrologie ou discours des eaux.[8]
  • 1824 – Nysten uses it for the study of mineral waters and their therapeutic properties.[2][9]
  • 1835 – The Académie française enters the word.[2]
  • 1873 – The Larousse records the medical sense.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. hydrology: the science of waters, their physical and chemical properties and their distribution.[2][10][11]
  2. Hydrologie médicale: the study of mineral waters and their therapeutic properties.[2][6][9]

Word family

  • hydrologue
  • hydrologiste
  • hydrographie
  • hydrogéologie
  • hydro-
  • -logie

Usage notes

Its branches include hydrologie fluviale, the study of river regimes and flows, hydrologie lacustre, also called limnologie, and hydrologie marine, also called océanographie.[10][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
  5. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
  6. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Hydrologie.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/hydrologie. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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