Etymologically
Log in

juif

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:02. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʒɥif/[1]

Forms

juif (feminine juive, masculine plural juifs, feminine plural juives)[1] Old French judeu (about 980), juef (mid-12th century), juiu (about 1190), juieu, giu, juif about 1223; feminine juiue, juive.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French juiu, inherited from Latin Iūdaeus (“of the tribe of Judah, Jew”), from Ancient Greek Ἰουδαῖος (Ioudaîos), from Biblical Hebrew יְהוּדִי (yəhûḏî), from יְהוּדָה (yəhûḏāh, “Judah”), the son of Jacob and Leah who gave his name to a tribe of Israel, then to one of the two kingdoms of Palestine and its people.[2][3][4] Rey has the Greek word come through Aramaic יְהוּדָאי (yəhûḏāy).[3] The word came to mean the whole people because most of the Hebrews who returned from the Babylonian captivity belonged to the tribe of Judah.[2][3][5]

The masculine “juif” was remade on the feminine juive, “juiue”, the regular outcome, replacing the older masculine “juiu”.[2][6][3] English Jew comes from the Old French form “giu”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Passion of Clermont (about 980) has the noun Judeu; the adjective judeue gent “Jewish people” is in Philippe de Thaon's Comput (1119).[2][3]

Semantic evolution

From Old French on, the word carried hostile connotations reflecting the attitude of the Christian majority, such as “usurer” (1265), from the old ban on Christians lending at interest, and later “miser”.[3][7] The legendary Juif errant “Wandering Jew” is recorded in 1648.[8]

In familiar French le petit juif (1931) is the funny bone of the elbow.[7] The spelling with a capital, Juif, is used for a member of the people, the lower-case juif for a follower of the religion.[1][8]

Timeline

  • c. 980 – Judeu, Passion.[2]
  • 1119 – Adjective judeue gent, Philippe de Thaon.[2]
  • mid-12th century – Juef.[2]
  • c. 1223 – Juif, Gautier de Coinci.[2]
  • c. 1274 – Feminine juive, Adenet le Roi.[2]
  • 1648 – Le Juif errant.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A Jew, a member of the Jewish people (usually Juif, Juive).[8][1]
  2. A follower of Judaism.[1][7]
  3. (familiar) Le petit juif: the funny bone.[7]

Adjective

  1. Jewish: le peuple juif, la religion juive.[8][1]

Word family

  • juiverie
  • judaïsme
  • judéen
  • Latin Iūdaeus

Usage notes

Uses of juif meaning “miser” or “usurer” are offensive.[3][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b 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, 53a
  6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert