janvier

Forms

janvier m (plural janviers)^[1] Old French jenvier (1119) and janvier (end of the 12th century); Old Picard genvier.^[2][3] Anglo-Norman also had genver and janever.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French jenvier, inherited from Vulgar Latin jenuarius, a popular form found in inscriptions, for classical Latin Iānuārius (“January”);^[3][2][5][6] Bloch and Wartburg explain that pretonic ⟨ja-⟩ regularly became ⟨je-⟩ in Late Latin.^[3] The Latin word is an adjective “of Janus” used as a noun, short for a phrase with mēnsis (“month”); Iānus was the god of doors, passages and beginnings, who presided over the start of the year.^[7][2] Rey connects his name with the common noun meaning “passage, arcade”, perhaps from a root meaning “to go”.^[7]

Cognate with Italian gennaio, Spanish enero, Catalan gener, Portuguese janeiro and Old Occitan januer.^[2][3][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as jenvier in Philippe de Thaon's Comput (1119), meaning “January”.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its single meaning, the first month of the year.^[2][5] Set expressions include le premier janvier, New Year's Day, and the familiar du premier janvier à la Saint-Sylvestre “all year round”.^[9][5] Le bonhomme Janvier, the month personified, is recorded by Larousse in 1902.^[9]

Timeline

• 1119 – Jenvier appears in Philippe de Thaon's Comput.^[2][4]
• Late 12th century – The form janvier appears in the Munich Brut.^[2]
• 16th century – The proverb de fleur de janvier on ne remplit point le panier is recorded.^[8]
• 1902 – Larousse records le bonhomme Janvier.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. January, the first month of the year: il est né en janvier.^[2][5][1]
2. Le premier janvier: New Year's Day.^[9][5]
3. Du premier janvier à la Saint-Sylvestre: all year long.^[5][9]

Related words

• Latin Iānuārius

Usage notes

Littré cites the 16th-century proverb de fleur de janvier on ne remplit point le panier (“January flowers don't fill the basket”).^[8] The édit de janvier (1562) was the edict by which Catherine de Médicis allowed the Calvinists to worship outside the walls of towns.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 29b
7. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse