myrrhe

Forms

myrrhe f (plural myrrhes)^[1] Old French mirra (about 980), mirre (about 1080) and myrre (about 1175, Chrétien de Troyes); the spelling myrrhe is recorded in 1579 in Henri Estienne.^[2][3] Anglo-Norman also had mire, murre and myrra.^[4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin myrrha (“the shrub that yields myrrh, myrrh”), also written murra, an early borrowing.^[5][6][7][8] The Latin word is from Ancient Greek μύρρα (múrrha).^[6][1][2] Rey and Wiktionary trace the Greek word to a Semitic root *m-r-r (“to be bitter”), found in all the ancient Semitic languages, as in Biblical Hebrew מֹר (mōr) and Arabic مُرّ (murr, “bitter”).^[6][1] Littré compares Ancient Greek μύρον (múron, “perfume, unguent”).^[9]

Cognate with Occitan mirra, Spanish mirra and Italian mirra.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is mirra in the Passion of about 980, in the line Enter mirra et aloen, for the myrrh and aloes that Nicodemus brought to Christ's burial: the aromatic resin.^{[5][6][10][11]}

Semantic evolution

Latin myrrha named the shrub and, by metonymy, its fragrant gum, and French has kept both senses, though the gum is by far the more common.^[6] The resin was valued for its scent and later in medicine for its antispasmodic and stimulating action.^[5][2] In Christian tradition it is paired with incense, especially in the story of the Magi.^[6][12] The spelling with ⟨y⟩ and ⟨rrh⟩, after Latin and Greek, replaced Old French mirre in the 16th century.^[2][3]

Timeline

• c. 980 – Mirra appears in the Passion.^[5][6]
• c. 1100 – The Chanson de Roland has mirre.^[5][9]
• c. 1175 – Chrétien de Troyes writes myrre.^[2]
• 16th century – Henri Estienne explains the proverb de bonne myrrhe playe puante as a corruption of debonnaire mire fait playe puante.^[9]
• 1579 – The modern spelling myrrhe is recorded in Henri Estienne.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. Myrrh, an aromatic gum resin from certain trees of Arabia and Africa, used in perfumes and formerly in medicine.^[5][12][2]
2. The shrub that produces this resin.^[6]

Related words

• Latin myrrha
• Ancient Greek μύρρα (múrrha)

Usage notes

Henri Estienne records the 16th-century proverb de bonne myrrhe playe puante, which he explains as a corruption of debonnaire mire fait playe puante “a gentle doctor makes a stinking wound”, mire being the old word for a physician.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ a b c d e f 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/3, 316a
9. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ Tobler, Adolf; Lommatzsch, Erhard (1925–2002), Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch, 11 vols., Berlin / Wiesbaden / Stuttgart: Weidmann / Steiner
11. ^ Godefroy, Frédéric (1881–1902), Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle, 10 vols., Paris: Vieweg / Bouillon
12. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert