météorologie

Forms

météorologie f (countable and uncountable, plural météorologies)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek μετεωρολογία (meteōrología, “inquiry or treatise on celestial bodies and phenomena”),^[2][3][1] from μετεωρολόγος (meteōrológos, “one who studies celestial phenomena”),^[4] from μετέωρος (metéōros, “raised high, in the air”) and -λογία (-logía).^[5][1][6] It keeps the old, general sense of météore, “any phenomenon in the air”.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Antoine Mizauld used meteorologie in 1547 in his Mirouer du temps; in 1587 Cholières has it for the study of meteors and atmospheric phenomena.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

For centuries the subject was ruled by Aristotle's Météorologiques; the field became a physical science in the 17th and 18th centuries with measuring instruments, and the word now names the science that studies the atmosphere in order to forecast the weather.^[7][2] By metonymy it came to name the national weather service (1949 in Larousse).^[4][7]

The clipping météo arose in trench slang in 1917–18.^[2] English meteorology (1610s) was taken from the French word and directly from Greek.^[8]

Timeline

• 1547 – Mizauld uses meteorologie.^[2][3]
• 1550 – The adjective météorologique is recorded.^[3]
• 1587 – Cholières uses it for the study of atmospheric phenomena.^[2]
• 1610s – English borrows it as meteorology.^[8]
• 1775 – Météorologue is recorded.^[3]
• 1917–18 – Soldiers clip it to météo.^[2]
• 1949 – Larousse records the sense “weather service”.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Meteorology, the scientific study of atmospheric phenomena and of weather forecasting.^[9][2][4]
2. The weather service: elle est entrée à la Météorologie nationale.^[9][4]

Word family

• météorologique
• météorologue
• météo

Related words

• météore
• Ancient Greek μετέωρος (metéōros)
• English meteorology

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert