jadis

Forms

jadis (adverb; also used as an adjective and a noun)^[1][2] Anglo-Norman spellings include jadiz, jadys and jadés.^[3]

Etymology

It is a contraction, from Old French ja (“already”) + a (“there is”) + dis (“days”), literally “there are already days”.^{[4][5][6][7][8]} The middle element is the impersonal third person of avoir “there is”, and the last the plural of di (“day”), which is recorded in 842 in the Strasbourg Oaths and comes from the accusative of Latin diēs (“day”);^[4][5] the Old French word was later replaced by jour.^[4][5] ja goes back to iam (“already”).^[7][9] The DEAF traces the phrase to Vulgar Latin *iam habet diēs (“there are already days”).^[10]

The GLLF considers the contraction probable and cites molt a ja dis (“it is a long time ago”) from the Roman d’Eneas (about 1130).^[11] Littré compares it with the old tousdis (“always”) and with tandis, formed the same way.^[12]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found early in the 12th century, in Benedeit's Voyage de saint Brendan (about 1112), with the sense “formerly, long ago”, and again in the poem Grant mal fist Adam (1120–1150).^[4][5][11]

Semantic evolution

Old French also used it as an adjective, “of old, former”, and of the dead, “late”.^[3][13] The sense has hardly changed, but the word has become literary and archaic beside autrefois, often set against naguère, as in the title of Verlaine's Jadis et Naguère (1884).^[5][11] As an adjective it follows temps (le temps jadis, 1566, Henri Estienne), and poets use it as a masculine noun.^[11][5] Henri Estienne already noted that saying something was done au tems jadis marked it as out of use.^[12]

Timeline

• c. 1112 – First recorded, in Benedeit's Voyage de saint Brendan.^[5][4]
• 1120–1150 – Used in the poem Grant mal fist Adam.^[4]
• 1566 – Henri Estienne uses it as an adjective, le temps jadis.^[11]
• 1884 – Verlaine publishes Jadis et Naguère.^[5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Long ago, in times past, formerly (autrefois): les coutumes de jadis.^[9][14][4]

Adjective

1. Of old, after temps: au temps jadis, le temps jadis.^[14][11][12]

Noun

1. (poetic) The past.^[2][5]

Related words

• déjà
• jamais
• jour
• tandis
• naguère
• autrefois
• Latin diēs

Usage notes

The final /s/ is a recent pronunciation, due to the spelling;^[11] Littré still gave /ʒa.di/ and called the sounded ⟨s⟩ a mistake.^[12] Both are in use.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Wiktionnaire (French Wiktionary), fr.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
4. ^ a b c d e f g 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
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 25b
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Baldinger, Kurt; Möhren, Frankwalt; Städtler, Thomas, eds. (1971–2021), Dictionnaire étymologique de l'ancien français (DEAF), Heidelberg: Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften; DEAFél / DEAFpré, deaf-server.adw.uni-heidelberg.de
11. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
12. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
13. ^ Tobler, Adolf; Lommatzsch, Erhard (1925–2002), Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch, 11 vols., Berlin / Wiesbaden / Stuttgart: Weidmann / Steiner
14. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)