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miscellanées

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Etymology and origin of the French word miscellanées

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1570 Hervet, translation of the City of God More words from the 16th century
Borrowed from
Latin miscellanea
Ultimate origin
Latin misceō

Forms

miscellanées f pl[1][2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin miscellānea (“things mixed”), the neuter plural of miscellāneus (“mixed, blended”) used as a noun.[1][3][4] That adjective is from miscellus (“mixed”), from misceō (“to mix”), the source of mêler.[1][4][5] In Latin the word also named the coarse food of gladiators.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It was first used of the work by Politian that bears this title, in Gentian Hervet's translation of La Cité de Dieu; most dictionaries date it 1570,[3][4][5] the TLFi 1578, the date of the edition it cites.[1]

Semantic evolution

It has stayed a literary and learned word for a collection of writings on various literary or scientific subjects.[4][1] The Latin form miscellanea is also used, from 1652 (Ménage), but mélanges is now more common.[5] Sainte-Beuve used it in the 1850s of Villemain's literary essays.[1]

Timeline

  • 1570 – First record, of Politian's Miscellanea.[3][4][5]
  • 1578 – Hervet's translation of La Cité de Dieu, in the edition the TLFi cites.[1]
  • 1652 – Ménage uses the Latin form miscellanea.[5]
  • 1762 – The Académie dictionary includes it.[1]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (literary, learned) A collection of writings on various literary or scientific subjects; mélanges.[2][1][6]
  • mêler
  • mélange
  • Latin miscellānea

Usage notes

Chateaubriand used the singular miscellanée for “a mixture”.[7]

References

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Miscellanées.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/miscellan%C3%A9es. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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