joyau

Forms

joyau m (plural joyaux)^[1] Old French singular joiel, jouel, juel, plural joiaux; the singular joyau is recorded in 1379.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from French jeu + -eau, with the suffix becoming ⟨-iau⟩ after a vowel, as in aloyau, boyau and tuyau.^[2][5][6] The old singular joiel was remade after the plural joiaux.^[2][5][3] The word for a jewel would thus be at bottom a thing that gives pleasure.^[3] The base noun is from Latin jocus (“game, jest”).^[7][6]

The TLFi, Bloch and Wartburg, the Grand Robert and the Petit Robert prefer this to a Vulgar Latin *jocālis (Medieval Latin plural jocalia), which Littré kept;^{[2][5][6][7][4]} Littré also reports Diez's derivation from *gaudiale, from gaudium (“joy”), and rejects it.^[4] The GLLF sees an influence of Old French joi (“joy, jewel”).^[8]

Cognate with Occitan joyel, Catalan joiell and Spanish joyel.^[4] Italian gioiello, German Juwel and the English word jewel are borrowed from French;^[5][3] English kept the old form juel.^[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the plural, joiaux, in the Couronnement de Louis (about 1135), meaning objects of precious material.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word names a precious object worn as an ornament.^[3] From the 16th century it met competition from bijou, which has almost replaced it in everyday use, but it has held on for jewels of great value, as in les joyaux de la couronne (1690).^[3][8]

The metaphor of an admirable person is old (about 1205), but it was applied to things, a rare and beautiful work, only in 1801.^[2][3] In classical French un beau joyau was said ironically of a worthless person or thing (1656).^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1135 – Joiaux appears in the Couronnement de Louis.^[2]
• c. 1205 – Juel is used of a precious person.^[2][3]
• 1379 – The singular joyau is recorded.^[2][3]
• 1656 – Ironic un beau joyau “a worthless person or thing”.^[3]
• 1690 – Furetière records les joyaux de la couronne.^[3][8]
• 1801 – First used of a rare and beautiful thing.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A jewel, a precious ornament of gold, silver or gems: les joyaux de la couronne, the crown jewels.^[2][7][4]
2. (figurative) A rare and beautiful thing of great value: Cette chapelle est un joyau du gothique.^[2][7]

Word family

• joaillier
• joaillerie

Related words

• jeu
• bijou
• English jewel

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 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 i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
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 c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse