neiger

Forms

neiger (impersonal)^[1] Old French negier; the spelling neiger is recorded by R. Estienne in 1538.^[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French negier, inherited from Vulgar Latin *nivicō, a frequentative of Late Latin nivere, recorded in the 4th century by the grammarian Nonius Marcellus in the impersonal form “it snows”; it is derived from Latin nix (“snow”).^[4][5][6] The new verb was made beside classical ninguō, a form with a nasal infix, because its link with the noun was no longer felt.^[4][5] Rey traces the noun to an Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *snigʷh- (“snow”), also seen in English snow.^[5]

Of the other Romance languages only Italian nevicare continues this verb.^[4][7] The Late Latin verb survives in a Franco-Provençal type with ⟨-vre⟩, and a variant *nivare in Occitan nevar, Catalan nevar, Spanish nevar and Portuguese nevar.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The participle is first found about 1165 in Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie, in neif negiee “freshly fallen snow”;^[4][5] Chrétien de Troyes has Cele nuit ot il bien negié “that night it snowed hard” in Perceval (1174–1187).^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

The verb is mostly impersonal; personal uses for “to whiten, fall like snow” (before 1850) and a transitive “to send down like snow” (before 1841) are rarer.^[5][2] The phrase il a neigé sur sa tête “his hair has turned white” goes back to Ronsard in the mid-16th century.^[2][8]

The noun neige, first recorded as naige in 1329, was formed from the verb and replaced Old French noif, from Latin nivem, whose link with neiger was no longer felt and which clashed with noiz “nut”.^[5][7]

Timeline

• c. 1165 – Neif negiee “freshly fallen snow” appears in the Roman de Troie.^[4]
• 1174–1187 – Chrétien de Troyes uses the impersonal verb in Perceval.^[4][5]
• 1329 – The noun neige is first recorded, as naige.^[5]
• 1538 – R. Estienne has the spelling neiger.^[2]
• 1548 – The prefixed reneiger is recorded.^[5]
• Mid-16th century – Ronsard has il a neigé sur sa tête.^[2]
• 1744 – The diminutive neigeoter is recorded in Canada.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. (impersonal) To snow.Il a neigé toute la nuit sur la montagne.^[9][1]
2. (by extension, literary) To fall like snow, as blossoms do.^[2][8][5]
3. Il a neigé sur sa tête (familiar, dated): his or her hair has turned white.^[2][8]

Word family

• neige
• neigeux
• neigeoter
• reneiger

Related words

• névé
• Latin nix

Usage notes

Littré records cela est vrai comme il neige, said of a false statement.^[8] In Canadian French a verb neigeasser is also used.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 154a
7. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert