juste
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ʒyst/[1]
Forms
juste (plural justes)[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Latin iūstus (“in accordance with law; just, right; proper”), derived from iūs (“law, right”) (see jurer).[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary notes that Old French also had a form “just”, which may have been inherited and later remodelled after Latin, and traces “iūstus” to Proto-Italic *jowestos.[1] Old French declined nominative “jus”, object “juste”.[6] The sense “accurate, exact” was already Latin: Caesar writes “iusta altitudo” “the required height”.[3]
Compare Italian giusto, Spanish justo and Old Occitan just.[6]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is first found about 1120 in the Oxford Psalter in a religious sense, “in accordance with the justice of God”: la juste veie “the right way”; the noun juste “one who does God's will” appears in the same text.[4][2]
Semantic evolution
The word belonged first to the language of law and religion, and became secular in the 13th century, for a person who acts justly and for what conforms to law or rule (1283).[2][4] The moral sense “well-founded” followed, as in à juste titre (about 1470).[2][4]
From the late 14th century it expressed exactness: of a garment that fits well (second half of the 14th century), of an exact measure (1484), then of what conforms to reason and truth (1595, Montaigne), of what is exact or fitting (1668) and of a sound judgment (1671).[4][2] Le juste milieu (Pascal, 1657–1662) became a political term for the moderate government of Louis-Philippe (1831).[4][2] From “exactly enough” came “barely enough” in the 17th century (1625), and a vêtement juste became a tight one.[2][4]
The adverb dates from the 17th century, “accurately” and “precisely” (1637), and since the 19th century “too tightly”, au juste dates from before 1787 and comme de juste from 1808.[2] The derivative justesse appears in 1611 and ajuster in 1265.[3]
Timeline
- c. 1120 – Juste in the Oxford Psalter.[4][2]
- 1283 – “In accordance with the law”, in Beaumanoir.[4]
- c. 1470 – À juste titre.[4][2]
- 1484 – “Exact”, of a measure.[4]
- 1595 – “In accordance with reason”, in Montaigne.[4]
- 1611 – Justesse.[3]
- 1625 – “Barely sufficient”.[4]
- 1637 – Adverb juste “precisely”.[2]
- 1808 – Comme de juste.[2]
Meanings
Adjective
- Just, fair: un professeur sévère mais juste.[7][1]
- Justified, legitimate: une juste colère, à juste titre.[2][1]
- Accurate, exact, right: le mot juste, l'heure juste.[1][4]
- Sound in judgment: un esprit juste.[4][8]
- (music) In tune; of an interval, perfect.[8][1]
- Tight; barely enough: Cette veste est un peu juste, C'est juste.[1][2]
Noun
Adverb
- Rightly, accurately: chanter juste, viser juste.[2]
- Exactly, precisely: à midi juste, juste à temps.[2]
- Only just, barely; too tightly.[2]
- Au juste: exactly, comme de juste: of course.[2]
Word family
- justement
- justesse
- ajuster
- justaucorps
Related words
- justice
- Latin iūstus
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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
- ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 87b
- ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse