moins

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mwɛ̃/^[1]
• IPA: /mwɛ̃s/^[1]

Forms

moins^[1] Old French meins (about 1130), mains (late 12th century), moins (14th century); some speakers still said mains in the 17th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French meins, inherited from Latin minus (“less”), the neuter of minor (“smaller, less”) used as an adverb, serving as the comparative of “parum” “little”.^{[5][6][3][1][7]} In Latin “minus” was often paired with “plus” and used with negations.^[6] Littré compares Greek “minúthein” “to lessen” and Gothic “mins”.^[4] The Grand Robert, after Dauzat, explains the form “moins” as a false regression.^[2] The French prefix “mé-”, “més-” does not come from “minus” but from a Germanic negative particle.^[8]

Cognate with Italian meno, Occitan mens, Catalan menys, Spanish menos and Portuguese menos.^[9][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1135 in the Couronnement de Louis, modifying a verb: Or te pris meins que al comencement “now I value you less than at the beginning”.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

As the comparative of peu it modified a verb (1135), an adverb (about 1170) and an adjective (1174–1176).^[5][6] From 1155 it was used with a number to be taken away from another (quarante anz un meins “forty years less one”), and moins de with a number is behind its use as a preposition of subtraction (cinq moins trois, 1762–1771), though Bonaventure des Périers already counted vingt et cinq solz moings un trezain in 1558.^[5][6][11]

Its many phrases include ne plus ne meins (about 1160), au moins (1135), à tout le moins (1165), du moins (about 1375), de moins en moins (1530), rien moins que (1534), plus ou moins (1538–1595) and à moins que (1668).^[6][5] Au moins at the end of a statement, for emphasis, is recorded in 1812.^[11]

Timeline

• c. 1135 – Meins in the Couronnement de Louis, al meins “at least”.^[5][6]
• 1155 – With a number to be subtracted, in Wace.^[5]
• c. 1160 – Ne plus ne meins.^[5]
• 14th century – The form moins.^[2][3]
• 1530 – De moins en moins in Palsgrave.^[5]
• 1534 – Rien moins que in Rabelais.^[5]
• 1668 – À moins que with the subjunctive.^[6]
• 1762 – Moins as a preposition of subtraction, in the Académie dictionary.^[11][6]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Less: Il travaille moins, moins grand que.^[9][1]
2. Moins de: less, fewer: moins de dix personnes.^[9][6]
3. Le moins: the least.^[1][3]
4. Au moins, du moins, pour le moins: at least.^[6][11]
5. À moins que, à moins de: unless.^[6]
6. De moins en moins: less and less.^[9]

Preposition

1. Minus: cinq moins trois; below zero: moins dix degrés.^[1][6]

Noun

1. The minus sign.^[1]

Related words

• diminuer
• menu
• menuiser
• mince
• minute
• minutie
• moindre
• mineur
• Latin minus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/2, 126b
8. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
11. ^ a b c d Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF