nain

Forms

nain (feminine naine, masculine plural nains, feminine plural naines)^[1] Old French nain, nein, neim; the feminine naine is recorded in the 13th century, beside nine.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin nānus (“dwarf”),^[2][5][6][7] borrowed from Ancient Greek νάνος (nános), an expressive word that also named a cake made with oil and cheese.^[6][3] In Latin it took the place of pūmiliō; it was first recorded for a grotesque vase, probably shaped like a dwarf, and was also used of dwarf mules and horses, and was felt to be vulgar.^[6]

Cognate with Italian nano, Old Occitan nan, Catalan nan, Spanish enano and Portuguese anão.^[8][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded about 1170 in Chrétien de Troyes's Erec, for a very small man, a dwarf;^[2][6] the GLLF and the Grand Robert date it a little earlier, to the Roman de Tristan.^[9][10]

Semantic evolution

Early on the noun was used as a disparaging adjective, “of little worth” (about 1210). From about 1278 it described plants, as in Jean de Meun's cedre nain; people and animals are called nain as an adjective from 1636.^[2][6] In the 18th century the noun took the moral sense of a person of small stature in mind, as in Voltaire.^[2][6]

The word also names the dwarfs of Germanic and Celtic legend, who guard underground treasure.^[6] The card game nain jaune (1838) is named for the yellow dwarf on its board, and nain de jardin “garden gnome” is a calque of German.^[6][11] Recently, those concerned have rejected the word as demeaning in favour of personnes de petite taille.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 1170 – Chrétien de Troyes uses nain in Erec.^[2]
• c. 1210 – Raoul de Houdenc uses it as an adjective, “of little worth”.^[2]
• 13th century – The feminine naine is recorded.^[2]
• 1269–1278 – Jean de Meun writes cedre nain “dwarf cedar”.^[2]
• 1636 – Monet records homme nain, cheval nain, poule naine.^[2]
• 1834 – The learned derivative nanisme is recorded.^[6]
• 1838 – The game nain jaune is recorded.^[6][11]

Meanings

Noun

1. A person of much less than average height, a dwarf (now often felt to be offensive).^[11][6]
2. A small imaginary being of legend, a gnome.^[11][9]
3. (figurative, derogatory) A person of no stature or ability.^[2][9]
4. Nain de jardin: a garden gnome.^[11][1]
5. Nain jaune: a card game played on a board showing a yellow dwarf.^[11][3]

Adjective

1. Dwarf, much smaller than normal, of people, animals or plants: un arbre nain.^[2][3]

Word family

• nanisme

Related words

• nabot
• nano-
• Latin nānus

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 7b
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert