licencieux

Forms

licencieux (feminine licencieuse, masculine plural licencieux, feminine plural licencieuses)^[1] In the 16th century it was also written licentieux.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin licentiōsus (“free, unrestrained, licentious”),^[3][4][5] from licentia (“freedom, licence”).^[1][4] Littré treats it as the adjective of licence.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi dates the word to 1537, in a French version of Le Courtisan.^[3][5] The GLLF gives this first use the sense “acting with too much freedom or independence”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

In classical French the adjective described people, and sometimes whole groups, who took liberties beyond what was allowed, and things that broke the rules, such as a careless pronunciation or a disorderly action.^[4][3] From the end of the 16th century it also meant “offending against modesty”, and in the 17th century “dissolute, libertine”.^[3][4] The older sense of excessive freedom is now obsolete, and the moral one is the only one in use, itself somewhat dated or literary.^[6][3]

Timeline

• 1537 – First record, in Le Courtisan.^[3][5]
• 16th century – Montaigne writes of la saison la plus licentieuse de mon aage.^[2]
• c. 1590 – First found in the sense “offending modesty”.^[3][6]
• early 17th century – Applied to disorderly actions (licencieuses actions).^[3]
• before 1671 – Recorded in the sense “libertine”.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (obsolete) Abusing the freedom one is given, acting without restraint.^[6][3]
2. (dated or literary) Lacking pudeur or decency, libertine, lewd: un roman licencieux, des chansons licencieuses.^[6][3]
3. (fine arts) Taking an unwarranted liberty with the rules of an art.^[2]

Word family

• licencieusement

Related words

• licence
• Latin licentia

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert