ingéniosité

Forms

ingéniosité f (plural ingéniosités)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French ingénieux + -ité, on the model of Late Latin ingeniositas.^[2][3] The Grand Robert and the GLLF treat it instead as a borrowing of the Late Latin noun, derived from Latin ingeniosus (“clever, inventive”).^[4][5] The Latin adjective comes from ingenium (“natural talent”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi's first record is in La Mer des Histoires (1488), for the quality of an ingenious person.^[2] Bloch and Wartburg, the Grand Robert and the Petit Robert date a first form to 1307.^[6][4][7]

Semantic evolution

The word was rare until the end of the 18th century, when it became usual.^[6][3] Cotgrave recorded it in the 16th century, and Henri Estienne wrote of a chair made avec une très malheureuse ingeniosité “with a most unhappy ingenuity”.^[8] From the quality of a person it spread to that of a thing, a method or a device.^[5][7]

Timeline

• 1307 – First form, according to Bloch and Wartburg and the Petit Robert.^[6][7]
• 1488 – Found in La Mer des Histoires.^[2][5]
• 16th century – Recorded by Cotgrave and used by Henri Estienne.^[8]
• Late 18th century – Becomes common.^[6][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. The quality of an ingenious person, inventiveness, cleverness: Il a montré beaucoup d'ingéniosité.^[7][5][1]
2. By extension, the quality of a clever thing or method: l'ingéniosité d'un mécanisme.^[7][5]

Related words

• ingénieux
• ingénieur
• génie
• Latin ingenium

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d 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-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette