lez

Forms

lez^[1] Also spelled lès and les.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French lez, inherited from Late Latin latus (“beside, next to”), recorded as a preposition in the 6th century,^[5][6] the prepositional use of the classical noun latus (“side, flank”).^[5][7][4] The same noun gave a homonymous Old French noun meaning “side”, which went out of use in the 16th century,^[7] and lé.^[5]

Cognate with Old Occitan latz, Italian lato and Spanish lado.^[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1050 in the Vie de saint Alexis, in cil qui lez l'us siet “he who sits beside the door”.^[5][4]

Semantic evolution

In Old French it was an ordinary preposition meaning “beside, next to”: Villehardouin describes the two emperors sitting lez à lez “side by side” (early 13th century).^[8][10] It is found in place names from 1362 (Bouxières-lez-Gerbeviller),^[5] and it has survived only there since the 17th century, as in Plessis-lez-Tours.^[7][4]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – Lez in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[5]
• c. 1100 – Used in the Chanson de Roland.^[5]
• 13th century – Villehardouin writes lez à lez “side by side”.^[8]
• 1362 – First record in a place name, Bouxières-lez-Gerbeviller.^[5]
• 16th century – Rabelais still uses it as a preposition.^[8]
• 17th century – It goes out of use except in place names.^[7][4]

Meanings

Preposition

1. (obsolete) beside, near; now only in place names, as in Plessis-lez-Tours (“Plessis near Tours”) or Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse.^[3][5][1]

Related words

• lé
• Latin latus

Usage notes

In place names the spelling varies between lez, lès and les (Savigny-les-Beaune).^[4][5] It is pronounced /lɛ/ or /le/.^[2][3]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ 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
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 204a
7. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)