Etymologically
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luxure

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /lyk.syʁ/[1]

Forms

luxure f (plural luxures)[1] Luxurie (about 1119), luxure (about 1131).[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin luxuria (“exuberance, excess; luxury; debauchery”),[4][5][3][6][1][7] a derivative of luxus (“excess; luxury”), the source of luxe.[4][5][6] The Latin word first applied to the rank growth of plants, then to the fiery ardour of animals and people, and to profusion and sumptuousness; its first sense survives in luxuriant, and English luxury kept the sense “sumptuousness”.[5] In Saint Jerome's Latin it already meant lust.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Philippe de Thaon's Bestiaire (1121–1134) lists homicidium, Luxure, ebrietas: unrestrained indulgence in sexual pleasure.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

From the start French had the specialized sense of unbridled pursuit of sexual pleasure, above all in the language of the Church, which counts lust among the deadly sins and opposes it to chastity.[5][9] The senses “abundant production” (Palissy writes of the luxure of the sea) and “pomp” (16th century) were Latinisms that gave way to luxe.[5][8]

Since about 1850 it has been used figuratively for any unrestrained indulgence, as Flaubert's luxure de la plume (1853), and for a lustful act (1859).[4][5] Luxurieux (about 1119) is from luxuriosus.[5][3]

Timeline

  • c. 1119 – Luxurie, luxurieux (Philippe de Thaon).[5][2]
  • c. 1131 – The form luxure.[2]
  • 16th century – “Abundance; pomp”, Latinisms.[5]
  • 1853 – Luxure de la plume (Flaubert).[4][5]
  • 1859 – A lustful act.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Lust, lechery; the sin of the flesh.[9][1]
  2. (dated) A lustful act.[9][2]

Word family

  • luxuriance
  • luxuriant
  • luxurieusement
  • luxurieux

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c d e f 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
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 480b
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert