latte

Forms

latte f (plural lattes)^[1] Old French late; the spelling with two ⟨t⟩ dates from the 16th century.^[2][3] Anglo-Norman also had lathe and latthe.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French late, inherited from Late Latin latta according to the Grand Robert and the Petit Robert.^[5][6] The origin is obscure.^[7][2] The TLFi, Bloch and Wartburg and the DHLF suggest a very early borrowing from Germanic, because laths mattered so much in the timber houses of the Germanic settlers; they compare Old High German latta, German Latte, English lath and Dutch lat.^[7][8][2] Bloch and Wartburg argue that a Gaulish word would hardly have lost an initial ⟨s-⟩ all over the Romance area.^[8] The DHLF adds that the Germanic word may be related to a Celtic form seen in Irish slat,^[2] and the REW leaves the choice open between Germanic and Gaulish.^[9] The FEW lists the word among those of unknown origin.^[10][7] Wiktionary points to Frankish *lattu.^[1] P. Guiraud, quoted by the DHLF and the Grand Robert, derived it instead from Latin latitare (“to carry often”), making the lath a support.^[2][5]

Cognate with Italian latta (“tin plate”), Occitan lata, Catalan llata, Spanish lata and Portuguese lata.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wace uses late in the Roman de Rou (1160–1174) for a long, thin, flat piece of split wood used for partitions, ceilings and trellises.^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

The building sense has lasted to this day, and the word now also names the strips of wood used in materials made of many laths.^[2] By likeness of shape it named an old cavalry sabre with a long, narrow, straight blade (1808).^[7][2] In Belgium and Luxembourg it is a flat graduated ruler and, in football, the crossbar of the goal.^[2][1]

In slang the plural named shoes (about 1803) and later feet (1937), whence coup de latte “kick”.^[2][7][3] The derivative latter, first “to fasten, nail” and then “to cover with laths” (1288), is also used in slang for “to kick”.^[2]

Timeline

• 1160–1174 – Late appears in Wace's Roman de Rou.^[7][4]
• 13th century – Chanlatte is recorded in Rutebeuf, and lattis as latiç.^[8][2]
• 1288 – Latter “to cover with laths” is recorded.^[2][8]
• 16th century – The spelling latte with two ⟨t⟩ appears.^[2][3]
• c. 1803 – Slang uses it for “shoe”.^[7][2]
• 1808 – D'Hautel records the sense “cavalry sabre”.^[7][3]
• 1937 – The slang sense “feet” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A lath or slat: a long, thin, narrow, flat piece of wood used in carpentry and joinery: les lattes d'un sommier.^[6][7][1]
2. (nautical) A sail batten, a strip of wood or plastic that stiffens a sail.^[6][1]
3. (dated) An old cavalry sabre with a long, narrow, straight blade.^[6][7]
4. (slang) A shoe, and by metonymy a foot: un coup de latte.^[6][2]
5. (Belgium) A ruler for measuring.^[1][2]

Word family

• latter
• lattis
• chanlatte

Related words

• English lath

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 k l m n o p q Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
8. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 4933
10. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 23, 6b