mars

Forms

mars m (invariable)^[1] Old French mars, also written marz in the early 13th century and march in 1234.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French mars, inherited from Latin mārtius (“of Mars”), with mēnsis (“month”) understood.^[3][4][1][5] The Latin adjective is formed on Mārs (“Mars”), the god of war,^[3][2] the name of an old Italic deity of unknown origin who was identified with the Greek war god Ares.^[4] Rey notes that March was at first the first month of the Roman year.^[4]

Cognate with Italian marzo, Spanish marzo, Portuguese março and Occitan mars.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1119 in Philippe de Thaon's Comput, a treatise on the calendar, as the name of the third month of the year.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

Since the 13th century the word has also named what is sown in March: marc “grain sown in March” is found in 1234, and the plural les mars for spring-sown grain such as barley and oats appears with Beaumanoir in the late 13th century.^[3][4][2]

The month entered several sayings.^[4][3] In the 14th century something held as firmly as mars en Quaresme (March in Lent) was taken as wholly true, and in 1542 Rabelais used le moys de Mars faillit en karesme “March failed to fall in Lent” for an impossible event.^[3][4] The modern phrase arriver comme mars en carême, of something that never fails to come at its usual time, is recorded in 1690.^[3][4] Bloch and Wartburg note that the variant comme marée en carême seems to be later.^[5]

In 1803 the word was applied to a European butterfly, the purple emperor.^[3][4]

Timeline

• 1119 – Philippe de Thaon uses it for the month in his Comput.^[3]
• 1234 – Marc means grain sown in March.^[3][2]
• c. 1283 – Beaumanoir uses the plural mars for spring grain.^[2][6]
• 1389 – Estre tenu ferme comme mars en Quaresme “to be held as wholly true” (dated 1349 by the DHLF).^[3][4]
• 1542 – Rabelais writes le moys de Mars faillit en karesme of an impossible thing.^[3][4]
• 1690 – Furetière records venir comme mars en carême.^[3][4]
• 1803 – Boiste records it as the name of a butterfly.^[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. March, the third month of the year, between février and avril.^[3][7][8]
2. (in the plural, agriculture) Spring grain, cereals such as barley and oats sown in March, also blé de mars.^[2][7]
3. A diurnal butterfly, brown or black spotted with white, with blue or violet sheen (genus Apatura), as in grand mars changeant.^[3][7][8]

Related words

• mardi
• martial
• martien
• Latin Mārs

Usage notes

Arriver comme mars en carême means to come without fail, at the expected moment.^[3][7] Written with a capital, Mars is the name of the Roman god of war and of the planet.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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 f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)