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lanturlu

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Etymology and origin of the French word lanturlu

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Onomatopoeia
First attested
1629 More words from the 17th century
Ultimate origin
French turelure
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French turelure
French lanturlu

Forms

lanturlu or lanturelu (interjection; masculine noun)[1][2] The Académie spelled it lanturlu from 1718 to 1798, admitted both forms in 1835 and 1878, and kept only lanturlu in 1935.[1]

Etymology

It is a fanciful word, from French turelure, a song refrain recorded from the 13th century.[1][2] The Grand Robert calls it an imitative formation and also connects it with lanlaire.[3] The Wiktionnaire sees in it la followed by the same refrain.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is dated to 1629, after the Trévoux dictionary's supplement of 1752, as the refrain of a popular song under Richelieu; a comedy first printed in 1637 has chantons le Lanturlu.[1][2]

Semantic evolution

The refrain soon served to express a mocking refusal or an evasive answer: in 1653 Scarron, in his Virgile travesti, has a character answer Lanturelu.[1][3] In the plural the word named the winegrowers of the Dijon region who rose against the royal power in 1630, singing a song with this refrain.[1][4]

Littré (1867) recorded a card game in which the jack of clubs is the highest card, and a winnowing machine once used in mills to separate the bran from the groats.[2] As a noun it was also a dated slang synonym of hurluberlu “scatterbrain”.[1][4]

Timeline

  • 1629 – Refrain of a song in vogue under Richelieu.[1][3][2]
  • 1630 – The Lanturlus, winegrowers of the Dijon region, rise against the royal power.[1]
  • 1637 – Chantons le Lanturlu in a comedy.[1]
  • 1653 – Scarron uses it for a mocking refusal.[1]
  • 1718 – The Académie records lanturlu.[1]
  • 1867 – Littré records the card game and the mill machine.[2]

Meanings

Interjection

  1. (dated, familiar) A refrain or a joyful cry.[1][4]
  2. (dated, familiar) Used to express a scornful refusal, indifference or an evasive answer: il lui a répondu lanturlu.[1][3]

Noun

  1. (dated slang) A hurluberlu, a scatterbrain.[1]
  2. (obsolete) A card game in which the jack of clubs is the highest card.[2][4]
  3. (obsolete) A winnowing machine once used in mills to separate the bran from the groats.[2]

References

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e Wiktionnaire (French Wiktionary), fr.wiktionary.org
Cite this entry

“Lanturlu.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/lanturlu. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·