mois

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mwa/^[1]
• IPA: /mwɑ/^[1]

Forms

mois m (invariable)^[1] Old French meis (1080), mois (about 1175, Chrétien de Troyes); Middle French moys.^[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French meis, inherited from Latin mēnsis (“month, (plural) menses”).^{[4][5][6][7][1]} The Latin word first meant the lunar month: in the Indo-European languages the name of the month was at first that of the Moon, which later received other names, as Ancient Greek σελήνη (selḗnē) and Latin lūna.^[5] “Mēnsis”, like Ancient Greek μήν (mḗn, “month”), belongs to an Indo-European word Proto-Indo-European *mēn- (“month, moon”), probably from the root of Latin mētior (“to measure”), the Moon being the star that measures time.^[8][5][8][9] The same root gave English moon, English month, German Mond and German Monat.^[8]

Cognate with Italian mese, Occitan mes, Catalan mes, Spanish mes and Portuguese mês.^[1][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as meis in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100), meaning one of the twelve divisions of the year; about 1130–1140 Wace uses it for the months of pregnancy.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

From 1535 the plural also had the Latin sense “menses”, now archaic (avoir ses mois).^[4][5][1] The sense “a month's pay” appears before 1614 (Brantôme), and is still current in être payé au mois and toucher son mois, le treizième mois, a year-end bonus, is recorded in 1959.^[4][5][3] Le mois de Marie is the month of May devoted to the Virgin (late 19th century).^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Meis in the Chanson de Roland.^[4]
• 1130–1140 – Months of pregnancy, in Wace.^[4]
• c. 1175 – The spelling mois, in Chrétien de Troyes.^[2][3]
• 1535 – Plural mois “menses”, in Olivétan's Bible.^[4]
• Before 1614 – A month's wages, in Brantôme.^[4]
• 1959 – Le treizième mois.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A month, one of the twelve divisions of the year: le mois de mai.^[8][1]
2. A period of about thirty days: dans trois mois.^[8]
3. A month's pay or rent: toucher son mois, le treizième mois.^[5][3]
4. (archaic, plural) menstruation.^[1][5]

Related words

• bimensuel
• mensualiser
• mensualité
• mensuel
• mensuellement
• semestre
• semestriel
• trimestre
• trimestriel
• menstrues
• Latin mēnsis

Usage notes

Mois is invariable: un mois, des mois.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
5. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
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, 713a
8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette