Etymologically
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magnifique

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ma.ɲi.fik/[1]
  • IPA: /ma.ni.fik/[1]

Forms

magnifique (plural magnifiques)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin magnificus (“doing great things; lavish; splendid; grandiose”),[2][3][4][5][6][1] from magnus (“great”) and faciō (“to make, do”).[3][7] The Latin word was said of a person who spends lavishly and has a grand manner, of a sumptuous thing and of a pompous style.[2][3]

Compare Old Occitan magnific, Spanish magnífico and Italian magnifico.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Brunetto Latini's Trésor (about 1265) uses it for a person who loves display and spends freely: l'ome ki est magnifiques est ententis par sa nature que ses afferes soient fet a grant honor et a grant despens, “the magnificent man is inclined by nature to have his affairs done with great honour and great expense”.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

French took over the Latin senses “generous, lavish” and “emphatic, pompous” of style (Bersuire, 1352–56), both now archaic except in historical uses such as Laurent le Magnifique.[3][2][9] It was an honorific title in 1474 (magnifiques Seigneurs).[2] From 1504 it is applied to sumptuous, grandiose works, and by extension to anything very fine of its kind, without the idea of luxury: Olivier de Serres (1600) speaks of ces magnifiques animaux, the silkworms, though this use stayed rare before the 19th century.[2][3][4]

Today it is commonly a weakened “very beautiful” (1835), like superbe and splendide, and familiarly it can be ironic (1808).[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1265 – “Lavish”, Brunetto Latini.[2]
  • 1352–56 – Of style, “pompous”, Bersuire.[2]
  • c. 1355 – magnifiquement.[3]
  • 1474 – An honorific title.[2]
  • 1504 – “Splendid, grandiose”, Lemaire de Belges.[2]
  • 1600 – “Very fine of its kind”, Olivier de Serres.[2]
  • 1835 – Common “very beautiful”.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. magnificent, splendid, sumptuous: des palais magnifiques.[9][1]
  2. Very beautiful, superb, remarkable, excellent.[9][3]
  3. (dated) Lavish, fond of display, le Magnifique, a title, as in Laurent le Magnifique.[9][3]
  4. (old) Of style, pompous, grandiloquent.[2][3]

Word family

  • magnifiquement
  • magnificence
  • magnifier
  • Latin magnificus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 48b
  7. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert