insecte

Forms

insecte m (plural insectes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin īnsecta (“insects”),^[2][3][4][5] the neuter plural, used as a noun, of īnsectus (“cut into”), the past participle of īnsecō (“to cut into, dissect”), formed with in- and secō (“to cut”).^[3][6][7] The Latin word translates Ancient Greek ἔντομα (éntoma), the neuter plural of ἔντομος (éntomos, “cut into, notched”), the name Aristotle gave these animals for the narrowings of their bodies.^[3][4][6] Entomologie comes from the same Greek word.^[3]

The TLFi dates the first record to 1553 (Belon); the Grand Robert, the GLLF and the Petit Robert give 1542 (Du Pinet), and Bloch and Wartburg find beste insecte in 1536.^{[2][6][7][8][4]}

Earliest recorded meaning

At first it kept the sense of the Greek word: a small invertebrate animal whose body is divided by narrowings or rings.^[3][8]

Semantic evolution

In the 17th century insectes also included animals believed to live on after being cut up, such as snakes, those with ringed bodies, such as worms, and those that seemed to have no organs, such as oysters.^[3] Furetière in 1690 counted among them the animals qui vivent après qu'ils sont coupés en plusieurs parties, comme la grenouille “which live after being cut into several parts, like the frog”,^[7] and La Fontaine (1668) called a snake cut in pieces l'insecte.^[7]

The modern notion took shape with zoology in the 18th and early 19th centuries: a small six-legged invertebrate, often winged, that goes through metamorphoses.^[3] Everyday usage still takes in spiders and other small creatures.^[3][8] From before 1696 (La Bruyère) it was also a contemptuous word for a worthless person.^[7][9] Insectivore dates from 1764 and insecticide from 1853.^[4] English insect was taken directly from Latin about 1600.^[10]

Timeline

• 1536 – Beste insecte.^[4]
• 1542 – Du Pinet uses insecte.^[6][7]
• 1553 – First record in the TLFi, in Belon's Observations.^[2]
• 1668 – La Fontaine calls a cut snake l'insecte.^[7]
• 1690 – Furetière defines insects as animals that live on after being cut up.^[7]
• Before 1696 – La Bruyère uses it of a contemptible person.^[7]
• 1764 – Insectivore.^[4]
• 1853 – Insecticide.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (zoology) An insect, an arthropod with a head bearing antennae, a thorax with three pairs of legs, and an abdomen.^[2][8]
2. Loosely, any small invertebrate, such as a spider or a woodlouse.^[8][7]
3. (obsolete) Any animal whose body is divided by narrowings or rings, including worms and snakes.^[8][7]
4. (figurative, pejorative) A worthless, contemptible person.^[9][7]

Word family

• insecticide
• insectivore

Related words

• Latin īnsectum
• English insect

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 710a
6. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com