montagneux

Forms

montagneux (feminine montagneuse, masculine plural montagneux, feminine plural montagneuses)^[1] Old French montaingneus and montaigneux;^[2][3] montagneux is found from 1559.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French montagne + -eux.^[2][4][5] Wiktionary instead derives the Old French montaingneus from Late Latin montāniōsus, from montānia.^[1] The noun itself is *montānea, the feminine of montāneus, Classical Latin montānus (“of the mountains”), from mōns (“mountain”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as montaingneus in Jean de Meun's translation of Vegetius (1284), of a mountainous country;^[2] the DHLF, the Grand Robert and the GLLF date it about 1265.^[7][4][3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective first described a land full of mountains.^[3][2] The sense “formed of mountains”, as in massif montagneux, is dated by the GLLF to the Robert of 1959.^[3] The TLFi notes that montagneux is said of regions of high relief and implies higher and more numerous heights than montueux.^[2]

Timeline

• 1284 – Montaingneus in Jean de Meun's translation of Vegetius.^[2]
• 1559 – The spelling montagneux.^[3]
• 16th century – La Noue writes of a pays montagneux.^[8]
• 1959 – The Robert records the sense “formed of mountains”.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. mountainous: full of or covered with high mountains: une province montagneuse.^[2][5][8]
2. Formed of mountains, belonging to a mountain range: un massif montagneux.^[3][5][2]

Related words

• mont
• montagnard
• montueux

Usage notes

Montagneux implies higher and more numerous heights than montueux, which is said of hilly country.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette