jongler

Forms

jongler^[1] Old French jogler.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French jogler (“to make fun of, to jest”),^[3][2][1][5] inherited from Latin joculor (“to tell jokes”),^[3][2] a verb from joculus (“little joke”), the diminutive of jocus (“joke”).^[6] The ⟨n⟩ of the modern form comes from the influence of the old verb jangler (“to chatter, jest, boast, slander”), used from the 12th century to 1660,^[3][2][4] which is traced to Frankish *jangalōn (“to chatter”).^[3][2][1] That form is reconstructed from Middle Dutch janken (“to moan”) and jangelen (“to grumble, mew”) and Middle Low German janken (“to moan, whimper”).^[3][2]

Bloch and Wartburg list the verb as a derivative of jongleur, whose ⟨n⟩ they explain by the same crossing, from the 16th century.^[7] English juggle comes partly from the Old French verb.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found, once, in Froissart's Chroniques (15th-century manuscript), in the phrase jongler à quelqu’un “to amuse oneself with someone”.^[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century the verb meant “to joke” (Estienne, 1546), a sense it kept until the end of the 17th century;^[3][2] Richelet already called it old in 1680.^[3][2] Under the influence of jongleur it came to mean “to do sleight-of-hand tricks” (Furetière, 1690) and then the modern sense of tossing and catching several objects.^[3][2]

From 1863 (the Goncourts) it was used figuratively for handling something with skill and ease, especially words and ideas, recovering part of its old meanings;^[3][2] jongler avec les difficultés is recorded in 1893.^[3][6] Because the juggled objects are in the air rather than in the hand, slang used it from 1928 for “to go without (something)”.^[2] Louisiana French uses it for “to think, to ponder, to worry”.^[1]

Timeline

• 1400s – Froissart's Chroniques have jongler à quelqu’un “to amuse oneself with someone”.^[3]
• 1546 – Estienne records it in the sense “to joke”.^[3][2]
• 1581 – The derivative jonglerie is recorded in its present form.^[2]
• 1680 – Richelet marks the verb as old.^[3]
• 1690 – Furetière records the sense “to do sleight-of-hand tricks”.^[3][2]
• 1863 – The Goncourts use it figuratively.^[3][2]
• 1893 – Jongler avec les difficultés is recorded.^[3][6]
• 1928 – Slang sense “to go without”.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To juggle: to throw several objects into the air and catch and throw them again in turn: Le clown jongle avec cinq balles.^[9][3][1]
2. (figurative) Jongler avec: to handle something skilfully and casually: jongler avec les chiffres.^[9][3]
3. (obsolete) To do sleight-of-hand tricks; earlier, to joke.^[9][3]
4. (Louisiana) To think, ponder or worry; to daydream.^[1]

Word family

• jonglage
• jonglerie

Related words

• jongleur
• jeu
• jouer
• Latin joculor
• English juggle

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 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 m n o p q r s t u 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 c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 41b
6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert