Etymologically
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joie

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Pronunciation

Forms

joie f (plural joies)[1] Old French goie (about 1050), joie (1080); the Académie wrote joye in 1694 and 1718, joie from 1740.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin gaudia (“joys”), the plural of the neuter “gaudium” “contentment, pleasure, joy”, which was common in familiar Latin and in late times was taken as a feminine singular.[3][2][4][5][6] “Gaudium” is derived from gaudeō (“to rejoice”), whence jouir.[2][7] South of a line from the Loire to the Vosges the Gallo-Romance forms, and the Italian and Hispanic ones, continue the masculine “gaudium” instead, Old French also had a masculine “joi”.[3][2]

Compare Occitan joia, Catalan goig and Spanish gozo, from “gaudium”.[7][8] Italian gioia was borrowed from French, as was English joy.[4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) goie is a feeling of intense happiness; the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) uses it for the outward signs of that feeling and for its cause: Il l'abat mort, paien en ont grant joie.[3][2][8]

Semantic evolution

Early on it also named the joys of heaven (les goies del ciel, early 12th century).[3] Its Latin sense of amorous pleasure, a caress (Chrétien de Troyes) and joie d'amour (1188), has disappeared except in fille de joie (1389, femme de joie in the 13th century).[3][2] Until the 16th century it could also mean a jewel, by association with joyau, a sense kept in Spanish joya, borrowed from French.[2]

Public rejoicing survives only in dialects and in feu de joie (1549).[2] Phrases include mettre en joie (1549), fausse joie and s'en donner à cœur joie (1680).[2] Ironic joies “troubles” go back to the Quinze Joyes de mariage (15th century), and the spoken c'est pas la joie “it's no fun” is now common.[9][2] The greeting comment va la joie ? is found from 1695.[10]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Goie, in the Vie de saint Alexis.[2][3]
  • c. 1100 – Joie in the Chanson de Roland.[3]
  • c. 1170 – Amorous pleasure, in Marie de France.[3]
  • 1225–30 – A source of joy, Guillaume de Lorris.[3]
  • 1389 – Filles de joye.[3]
  • 1549 – Feu de joie and mettre en joie.[2]
  • 1680 – S'en donner à cœur joie.[2]
  • 1695 – Comment va la joie ?.[10]
  • 1740 – The Académie spells it joie.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. joy; a deep, intense feeling of happiness: pleurer de joie, être fou de joie, la joie de vivre.[7][11][12]
  2. Something that gives joy: c'est une joie de les voir, faire la joie de quelqu'un.[12][9]
  3. In polite formulas, pleasure: j'accepte avec joie, se faire une joie de.[12][9]
  4. (ironic) Les joies de: the troubles of, c'est pas la joie, it is no fun.[2][9]
  5. (dated) Rejoicing: feu de joie, a bonfire, fille de joie, a prostitute.[2]

Word family

  • joyeux
  • joyeusement
  • joyeuseté
  • rabat-joie

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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
  4. ^ a b 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 80b
  7. ^ a b c d 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
  9. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  12. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)