mystère

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mis.tɛʁ/^[1]

Forms

mystère m (plural mystères)^[1] Old French mistere;^[2][3] mystère from the 13th to 16th century.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin mystērium (“secret rites; secret thing”), from Ancient Greek μυστήριον (mustḗrion, “secret rite, mystery”), derived from μύστης (mústēs, “initiate”), itself from μύω (múō, “to close (the lips or eyes)”): the initiate kept his mouth shut about the ceremonies.^[4][3][5][6] The Greek word also gave myope, and in Christian writers named the mysteries of the faith.^[4][3]

In Medieval Latin the word took the sense “service, office” through confusion with ministerium, the source of métier, and the dramatic sense comes from this.^[5][7][3] Littré rejected Max Müller's view that the mystery play has nothing to do with the Latin word, while admitting the confusion.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Gautier d'Arras's Ille et Galeron (1174–84) it means the deep nature or inherent virtue of something.^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

The first senses were religious: a secret of the Christian faith (about 1240), the sacrifice of the Mass, le saint mystère (13th century), and in 1452 (Arnoul Gréban) what is inexplicable to human reason.^[7][4] In the 15th century it named a secret rite of ancient polytheism, a banquet with a staged scene (before 1453), and, from 1402 a religious drama, the mystère of the Passion.^[7][5]

In the 17th century it came to mean any obscure or secret thing (Rotrou, 1643) and the care taken to hide something (Pascal, 1656–57); faire mystère de dates from 1551.^[7] Recent uses include a type of jet aircraft (1965) and an ice-cream dessert (1970).^[7] The adjective mystérieux dates from the 15th century.^[5]

Timeline

• 1174–84 – Mistere in Gautier d'Arras.^[7]
• c. 1240 – A secret of the Christian faith.^[7]
• 13th century – Le saint mystère, the Mass.^[7]
• 1402 – A religious drama.^[7]
• 1452 – What reason cannot explain, in Gréban.^[7]
• 1643 – Rotrou: any secret thing.^[7]
• 1656–57 – Pascal: secrecy.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. (antiquity) A secret cult open only to initiates: les mystères d'Éleusis.^[3][7]
2. (Christianity) A revealed dogma beyond reason: le mystère de la Trinité.^[3]
3. A mystery, something hidden or inexplicable: les mystères de la nature.^[3][1]
4. Secrecy: faire mystère de quelque chose, mystère et boule de gomme, I'm not telling.^[1][7]
5. (history) A medieval religious drama, a mystery play: le mystère de la Passion.^[1][7]
6. An ice-cream dessert coated in meringue and almonds.^[7]

Word family

• mystérieux

Related words

• mystérieusement
• mystique
• métier
• Ancient Greek μυστήριον (mustḗrion)

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/3, 319b
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette