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mastroquet

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Etymology and origin of the French word mastroquet

Confidence
Uncertain
First attested
1849 More words from the 19th century

Pronunciation

  • /mas.tʁɔ.kɛ/[1]

Forms

mastroquet m (plural mastroquets)[1] Shortened forms mastroc and mastroque are recorded from 1874.[2]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.[3][4][5] The FEW suggested a link with mastoc (FEW 16, 542a, note 3), which the TLFi and Rey find impossible;[3][4] Bloch and Wartburg call it most doubtful.[5]

Most other proposals start from the Germanic descendant of Latin magister (“master”).[4][6] Esnault (1951), after Delesalle in 1896, proposed Dutch meesterke (“little boss”), and Cellard and Rey a Flemish meisterke, said to be the usual name for an innkeeper.[3][4] The GLLF thinks the word probably came through Picard, from a Flemish diminutive of meister (“boss”).[2] Rey and Picoche also cite Picard mastricot of Valenciennes (Rouchi), which may be related or may itself be the source.[4][6] The Grand Robert also mentions P. Guiraud's view, a southern form of maître.[7]

Littré gives an older explanation, by E. de La Bédollière (1874): the slang mistroc or mastroc (a half-setier measure), recorded in Grandval's glossary of 1775, so that the word would mean the man of the half-setier.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1849, in Parisian popular speech, for a retailer of wine, the keeper of a bar.[3][9][2]

Semantic evolution

By metonymy the word named the bar or café itself, as in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables (1862).[3][4] It is now dated, but survives in its clipped form troquet, first “bar keeper” (1873) and then “café” (1883), which is felt to be related to bistrot.[4][2]

Timeline

  • 1849 – First recorded, for a wine retailer.[3][5][9]
  • 1862 – Victor Hugo uses it for a café or bar.[3][2]
  • 1873 – The clipped form troquet appears.[4]
  • 1874 – La Bédollière explains it from slang mastroc “half-setier”.[8]
  • 1883 – Troquet is used for the café itself.[4][2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (popular, dated) A retailer of wine, the keeper of a bar or tavern.[3][1][10]
  2. (popular, dated) By metonymy, a bar or café.[3][1][10]

Word family

  • troquet

References

  1. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  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 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 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 Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
  7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b Bob, dictionnaire d'argot, de français familier et populaire, languefrancaise.net/Bob
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Mastroquet.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/mastroquet. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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