littéraire

Forms

littéraire (plural littéraires)^[1] Early form literaire (1527).^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin litterārius (“relating to reading and writing”), first recorded in 1527.^[2][3][4] The Latin adjective is formed from littera (“letter”), the source of lettre.^[3][1][5] Bloch and Wartburg see it as borrowed to serve as the adjective of belles-lettres and littérature.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in 1527 in the phrase œuvre literaire, in François Dassy's Peregrin, with the general sense “relating to learning and written knowledge”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Throughout the 16th century the word competed with littéral.^[3] From the 18th century it took more specific senses: “concerning books and the learning in them as a social activity”, as in le monde littéraire (1752),^[3][2] and, of a person, “gifted for letters” (1775).^[3] The modern sense “meeting the aesthetic demands of literature” is recorded in 1831, from Sainte-Beuve.^[3][7] Phrases such as société littéraire (1740), propriété littéraire (1842) and prix littéraire (early 20th century) followed.^[7]

Linguists use it for the level of language usually found in literary texts, as opposed to everyday or familiar speech.^[3][8] English literary was taken from it in the 1640s, at first meaning “pertaining to the letters of the alphabet”, and “pertaining to literature” from 1737.^[9]

Timeline

• 1527 – Œuvre literaire appears in Dassy's Peregrin.^[2][7]
• 1640s – English borrows it as literary.^[9]
• 1740 – The Académie records société littéraire.^[7]
• 1752 – The Dictionnaire de Trévoux has le monde littéraire.^[2][3]
• 1775 – Used of a person gifted for letters.^[3]
• 1810 – The adverb littérairement is recorded.^[3]
• 1831 – Sainte-Beuve uses it in the modern aesthetic sense.^[3][7]
• 1842 – Propriété littéraire is recorded by Mozin.^[7]
• 1965 – Todorov introduces the derivative littérarité, after Jakobson's Russian term.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Relating to literature as an activity: un prix littéraire, la vie littéraire.^[8][10]
2. Studying or dealing with literature: la critique littéraire, l'histoire littéraire.^[8][11]
3. Meeting the aesthetic standards of literature: la valeur littéraire d'un roman.^[8][10]
4. (linguistics) Of a word or style: belonging to the written, literary register, as opposed to everyday or familiar usage.^[8][3]
5. Of a person: gifted for letters rather than for the sciences.^[10][3]

Noun

1. A person with a bent for letters, especially one who prefers literature to the sciences: Ma sœur est une littéraire.^[1][10]

Word family

• littérairement
• littérarité

Related words

• lettre
• littérature
• littéral
• Latin littera
• English literary

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)