menthe

Forms

menthe f (plural menthes)^[1] Old French mente; the spelling menthe dates from 1538.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French mente, inherited from Latin menta (“mint”) (also written mentha).^[2][5][1] The Latin word, like Ancient Greek μίνθη (mínthē, “mint”), goes back to a non-Indo-European language.^[2][3] The modern spelling with ⟨th⟩ is an etymologizing correction after the Latin form with ⟨th⟩.^[2][3][6]

Old French also had mentastre “wild mint”, from mentastrum, formed on it, which survives in Provençal, Franco-Provençal and Saintonge dialects.^[2][3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as mente in the Chevalier au Cygne (about 1200), meaning the plant.^[2] About 1240 Guillaume de Lorris has a path plaine de fenoil et de mente “full of fennel and mint”.^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

The name of the aromatic plant, much used in food, was applied to its essence (1868) and then to mint liqueur (1874).^[3][4] A variety of chrysanthemum is called menthe-coq (1771).^[3]

Menthe also gave chemical terms: menthol (1874), the alcohol taken from peppermint oil and used as a local anaesthetic, with its derivative mentholé (1929).^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1200 – Mente appears in the Chevalier au Cygne.^[2]
• c. 1240 – Guillaume de Lorris uses mente in the Roman de la Rose.^[4][7]
• 1538 – Robert Estienne writes menthe.^[4][8]
• 1771 – Menthe-coq names a chrysanthemum.^[3]
• 1868 – Used for mint essence.^[3][4]
• 1874 – Used for mint liqueur, and menthol is formed.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. Mint, an aromatic herb of the mint family that grows in damp places: menthe poivrée, menthe sauvage.^[9][10]
2. Mint syrup, or a drink made with it: une menthe à l'eau.^[9][4]
3. Mint essence or flavour: pastilles de menthe.^[9][4]
4. Thé à la menthe: green tea infused with fresh mint leaves.^[9]

Word family

• menthol
• mentholé

Related words

• Latin menta

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 730a
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)