Etymologically
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mur

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Pronunciation

Forms

mur m (plural murs)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin mūrus (“wall, especially of a city”), in Old Latin “moerus”.[2][3][4][5][1][6] The Latin word was distinct from moenia (“ramparts”) and, from pariēs (“wall of a house”) (see paroi).[3] It is usually connected with “pōmērium”, the sacred strip along the walls of Rome, though the form raises difficulties; it replaced the Indo-European word seen in Ancient Greek τεῖχος (teîkhos, “wall”).[3] Wiktionary traces it to a root “*mey-” “to strengthen”.[1]

Cognate with Italian muro, Occitan mur, Spanish muro and Portuguese muro.[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found at the end of the 10th century in the Passion of Clermont, in the plural, for the walls of Jerusalem: en tos belz murs, en tas maisons pedra ssubr altre non laiseront (“in your fine walls, in your houses, they will not leave stone upon stone”).[2][7]

Semantic evolution

The word first named the fortified wall around a town, and by metonymy the town itself, as in defors li mur “outside the walls” (about 1200), later rivalled by Latin extra muros and intra muros.[2][3] From the Chanson de Roland it was also used of the walls of a house (about 1100) and a castle (early 12th century), and figuratively of protection (Chrétien de Troyes, 1176–1181).[2][3] Modern uses include le mur du son “the sound barrier”, faire le mur “to slip out without leave” and mettre au pied du mur “to leave no way out”.[7] Derivatives include muraille (about 1200), murer (12th century) and emmurer.[4]

Timeline

  • Late 10th century – The walls of Jerusalem, in the Passion of Clermont.[2]
  • c. 1100 – The walls of a dwelling, in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • 12th century – Murer, in Chrétien de Troyes.[4]
  • c. 1200 – Defors li mur “outside the town”, muraille.[2][4]
  • 1461 – Avant-mur.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A wall: un mur de pierre, les murs de la ville.[1][7]
  2. (figurative) A barrier, obstacle: un mur de glace, le mur du son.[7]
  3. Faire le mur: to go out without permission, mettre au pied du mur: to corner.[7]
  4. Dans nos murs: in our town.[3]

Word family

  • muraille
  • murer
  • démurer
  • emmurer
  • avant-mur
  • muret

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/3, 241a
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert