matinée

Forms

matinée f (plural matinées)^[1] Old French matinee.^[2][1]

Etymology

It is formed from French matin + -ée.^[2][3] The noun for “morning” is from Latin mātūtīnum (“morning”), the neuter of the adjective taken as a noun, from the phrase mātūtīnum tempus (“morning time”).^[4]

Compare Occitan matinada and Italian mattinata.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1119 in Philippe de Thaon's Comput for the time between daybreak and noon.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Matinée doubled matin for the part of the day between dawn and noon, seen as a stretch of time.^[7] From 1175 grant matinee meant a late morning, whence dormir grant matinee (about 1220) and dormir crasse matinee (1266), the source of faire la grasse matinée “to sleep in”, where gras means “big”.^[2][7] Littré preferred to explain it as a morning in which one grows fat.^[5]

In the society life of the 19th century the word came to mean the afternoon, as against the evening (soirée): the TLFi has it from Balzac in 1833.^[2][8] This sense faded except for a performance held in the afternoon (1807, en matinée 1868).^[7][9] By metonymy une matinée was also a woman's morning gown (1880).^[2][7] English borrowed the word in 1848 as English matinee “afternoon performance”.^[10]

Timeline

• 1119 – Philippe de Thaon uses it for the morning.^[2]
• 1175 – Grant matinee “late morning” in Hue de Rotelande.^[2]
• 1266 – Dormir crasse matinee is recorded.^[2][7]
• 1549 – Robert Estienne records dormir la grasse matinée.^[6]
• 1807 – An afternoon performance.^[9][7]
• 1833 – Balzac uses it for the afternoon, as against the evening.^[2]
• 1848 – English borrows the word as matinee.^[10]
• 1880 – A woman's morning gown.^[2]
• 1923 – Larousse records faire la grasse matinée.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. The morning, from sunrise to noon, considered as a length of time: Elle a lu toute la matinée.^[9][2]
2. Faire la grasse matinée: to sleep in, to stay late in bed.^[9][1]
3. An afternoon performance of a play, film or concert: Le théâtre joue la pièce en matinée le dimanche.^[9][1]
4. (dated) The afternoon in society life, as opposed to the evening.^[9][2]
5. (dated) A woman's morning dressing gown.^[2][1]

Related words

• matin
• matinal
• matutinal
• matines
• Latin mātūtīnus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
9. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com