législatif

Forms

législatif (feminine législative, masculine plural législatifs, feminine plural législatives)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French législateur + -if, also after législation.^[2][3] The TLFi and Rey consider the senses “law-making” and “relating to laws” probably borrowed from the English word legislative (1651 and about 1641),^[2][4] and the Grand Robert says the English word itself was formed on legislation after Latin lēgislātīvus.^[5]

législateur is from Latin lēgislātor (“lawgiver”), which Bloch and Wartburg describe as the agent noun of the Latin phrase for “to propose a law”, made of lēx (“law”) and ferō (“to carry, propose”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded as a feminine noun, la legislative “the science of the lawgiver”, in Oresme's translation of Aristotle's Politics (1372–1374), an isolated use.^[2][7] The Grand Robert and the GLLF date Oresme's use about 1361, Rey about 1370.^[5][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The adjective “that makes laws” appears in 1652, in a French version of Milton's Eikonoklastes, under the influence of English.^[2][4] The Grand Robert notes that it spread only in the 18th century;^[5] the Académie recorded it in 1718, and pouvoir législatif goes back to Saint-Simon at the end of the 17th century.^[3] Its everyday use dates from the second half of the 18th century and the Revolution, with the Assemblée législative of 1791, called simply la Législative.^[4][2]

The sense “relating to laws, having the character of a law” is recorded from Chateaubriand in 1803.^[2][4] The Corps législatif was the name of the assembly of deputies under the constitution of the year VIII (1800) and under the Second Empire.^[3][7] Élections législatives, the elections of the deputies, dates from the early 20th century, and the masculine noun le législatif “the legislative power” from 1949.^[3]

Timeline

• 1372–1374 – Oresme uses la legislative for “the science of the lawgiver”.^[2]
• 1652 – First recorded as an adjective meaning “law-making”.^[2][4]
• 1718 – The Académie records the adjective.^[3][6]
• 1791 – The Assemblée nationale législative is set up.^[2][4]
• 1800 – The constitution of the year VIII creates the Corps législatif.^[3]
• 1803 – Chateaubriand uses it for “relating to laws”.^[2]
• 1949 – Le législatif is used as a noun for the legislative power.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. That makes the laws, having the power or task of legislating: pouvoir législatif, assemblée législative.^[8][2]
2. Relating to the elected legislature: élections législatives, or simply les législatives, the elections of the deputies.^[8][3]
3. Having the nature of a law, relating to laws: Le texte prévoit plusieurs mesures législatives.^[8][2][7]

Noun

1. Le législatif: the legislative power, the parliament, as against l'exécutif.^[8][3]
2. (history) La Législative: the Legislative Assembly that followed the Constituent Assembly on 1 October 1791.^[8][7]

Related words

• législateur
• législation
• législature
• légiférer
• loi
• Latin lēgislātor

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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert