Etymologically
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mois

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Pronunciation

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]
  • 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