meilleur

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mɛ.jœʁ/^[1]
• IPA: /me.jœʁ/^[1]

Forms

meilleur (feminine meilleure, masculine plural meilleurs, feminine plural meilleures)^[1] Old French had a subject case mieldre, mieudre (late 10th century) and an object case meillor (1080); the latter, as meilleur from the early 13th century, replaced both.^[2][3][4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French meillor, inherited from Latin melior (“better”), accusative “meliōrem”, the comparative of bonus (“good”).^{[2][3][6][7][1]} Rey takes “melior” to be built on the same root as multus (“much”), with a first sense “bigger, stronger”.^[3] Littré, after Corssen, compared Ancient Greek μάλα (mála, “very”).^[5]

Cognate with Italian migliore, Occitan melhor, Catalan millor, Spanish mejor and Portuguese melhor.^[8][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The subject case mieldre is found in the second half of the 10th century in the Vie de saint Léger, as the comparative of bon; the object case meillor appears in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100).^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

From about 1050 it was also the superlative of bon (le meilleur), and about 1100 it was used as a noun for the best people.^[2][3] Le meilleur “the best part” is in Chrétien de Troyes (avoir le meilleur “to get the upper hand”, about 1170), and pour le meilleur dates from 1377.^[2] The impersonal il fera meillor + infinitive is from about 1165, and il fait meilleur of the weather is recorded by Larousse in 1873, though some purists condemn it.^[2][3] Avoir meilleur temps de “to be better off doing” is Swiss French (1727).^[3]

Timeline

• 2nd half of the 10th century – Mieldre in the Vie de saint Léger.^[2]
• c. 1050 – Superlative le meilleur, in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[2]
• c. 1100 – Meillor in the Chanson de Roland.^[2]
• c. 1170 – Avoir le meilleur in Chrétien de Troyes.^[2]
• Early 13th century – The form meilleur.^[9][4]
• 1873 – Il fait meilleur, in Larousse.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. better (comparative of bon): un monde meilleur, meilleur marché.^[10][4]
2. Le meilleur: the best: mon meilleur ami.^[2][1]

Adverb

1. Il fait meilleur: the weather is better, sentir meilleur: to smell better.^[10]

Noun

1. Le meilleur: the best part, the best one: garder le meilleur pour la fin.^[2][1]
2. Pour le meilleur et pour le pire: for better or for worse.^[2]

Related words

• mieux
• améliorer
• bon
• Latin melior

Usage notes

Plus bon is not used for “better”, except where plus is separated from the adjective.^[3] The adverb corresponding to meilleur is mieux.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 665b
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert