Etymologically
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innocent

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /i.nɔ.sɑ̃/[1]

Forms

innocent (feminine innocente, masculine plural innocents, feminine plural innocentes)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin innocēns (“harmless; blameless; not guilty”), through its accusative innocentem.[2][3][4][1] The Latin adjective is formed from in- (“not”) and nocēns (“harmful”), present participle of noceō (“to harm”) (see nuire), which Rey connects with nex (“violent death”) and an Indo-European root also seen in Ancient Greek νεκρός (nekrós, “corpse”).[3][5][6] Christian Latin used “Innocentes” for the children killed by Herod.[2][3]

It matches Old Occitan ignocen, Spanish inocente and Italian innocente.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) uses the plural for the Holy Innocents, the children put to death by Herod: as innocenz vous en serez seant “you will sit among the Innocents”.[2][3][7]

Semantic evolution

From that use it meant a very young child (about 1165).[2][3] In the first half of the 12th century, in the Oxford Psalter, it is said of people who do no wrong knowingly, and about 1300 (ignocent) of those who are not guilty.[2][3] Linked with the idea of ignorance, it meant “too naive” and “unaware” in the mid-14th century, then “simple-minded” (about 1430), as in l'innocent du village; in Quebec it means “idiot”.[3][1] The proverb aux innocents les mains pleines renders Latin fortuna favet stultis, and faire l'innocent “to feign ignorance” dates from 1732.[3]

At the end of the 14th century it took back the Latin sense “harmless”, now literary.[2][3] Molière's École des femmes (1662) uses it of a girl ignorant of love.[2] The verb innocenter “to clear (of guilt)” dates from 1611.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – The Holy Innocents, in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • 1st half of the 12th century – “Who does no wrong knowingly”, in the Oxford Psalter.[2]
  • c. 1165 – “A very young child”.[2][3]
  • c. 1300 – Ignocent “not guilty”.[2]
  • 1360–1370 – “Naive, simple”.[2]
  • late 14th century – “Harmless”.[2]
  • 1611 – Innocenter.[4]
  • 1662 – “Ignorant of love”, in Molière.[2]
  • 1732 – Faire l'innocent.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not guilty (of a crime or fault): il est innocent du crime.[2][1]
  2. Pure, untouched by evil; naive, unaware of evil.[8][2]
  3. (literary) Harmless, inoffensive.[2][3]
  4. (dated) Simple-minded.[3][6]

Noun

  1. An innocent person; especially a young child: le massacre des Innocents.[8][1]
  2. A naive person, faire l'innocent, to feign ignorance.[1][3]
  3. (Quebec) A stupid or foolish person.[1][3]

Word family

  • innocenter
  • innocence

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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 h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert