industrieux

Forms

industrieux (feminine industrieuse, masculine plural industrieux, feminine plural industrieuses)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin industriosus (“active”), from industria (“diligence, activity”).^{[2][3][4][5][6][1][7]} Wiktionary notes that it can also be analysed as industrie with the suffix -eux.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Miélot uses it in 1455 in his Advis directif, of people who show skill and resource: Catalans and Genoese are among seafarers les plus industrieux ou fait de la mer (“the most skilful in seafaring”).^[8][2]

Semantic evolution

The adjective first described a person who shows skill and activity,^[2][3] and it keeps the early senses of industrie, “skill, ingenuity”.^[3] The construction industrieux à “skilled at” is found from 1552, and the sense “very active, busy” from 1572.^[5] Cotgrave in 1611 glosses it “industrious, diligent, vigilant, laborious”.^[9]

In the 18th century it meant “relating to industry” (1765, in the Encyclopédie, of machines), and in 1798 it was used as a noun for a person engaged in industry; both uses gave way to industriel during the 19th century.^[2][3][10] Today it is literary, and it is no longer used of works of the mind in the sense “inventive”.^[3][11]

Timeline

• 1455 – Miélot uses industrieux and industrieusement in his Advis directif.^[2][8]
• 1552 – Industrieux à “skilled at” is recorded.^[5]
• 1572 – The sense “very active” is found in Peletier du Mans.^[5]
• 1611 – Cotgrave glosses it “industrious, diligent”.^[9]
• 1765 – The Encyclopédie uses it in the sense “industrial”.^[2][3]
• 1798 – Un industrieux is used as a noun.^[3][10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (literary) Skilful, ingenious, resourceful: les castors sont industrieux.^[11][12][2]
2. Very active, busy, industrious: une population industrieuse.^[5][11]
3. (obsolete) Relating to industry, now industriel.^[11][2]

Word family

• industrieusement

Related words

• industrie
• industriel
• Latin industria

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 655a
8. ^ a b Dictionnaire du Moyen Français, version 2015 (DMF 2015), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/dmf
9. ^ a b Cotgrave, Randle (1611), A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, London: Adam Islip
10. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
11. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
12. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)