nocturne

Forms

nocturne (plural nocturnes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin nocturnus (“of the night, active at night”).^[2][3][4][5] The Latin adjective is formed from nox (“night”) on the same pattern as its opposite diurnus.^[3][4]

Littré compares Old Occitan nocturn, Spanish nocturno and Italian notturno.^[6] Old French also had a form nocturnel (12th century),^[6] and Rey notes the adjective nocturnal (“taking place at night”), used from 1118 to about 1590 and then displaced by the present word.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the noun, about 1250 in the Cistercian rule, for each of the three parts of the office of matines in the Catholic liturgy.^[2][3] The Anglo-Norman Dictionary records this liturgical sense from about 1200.^[7]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective the word is found from 1355, in Bersuire's translation of Livy, meaning “done or taking place at night”; in 1581 it also meant “belonging to the night”, hence “dark, gloomy”, said of hell.^[2][3][4] Nicot has vision nocturne in 1606.^[2] From 1767 the adjective describes animals and plants that come out or are active at night.^[2][3]

In music, the 18th century used Italian notturno for suites written for the nobility, but only in the 19th century did nocturne come to name an intimate piece mainly for the piano, a usage started by the pianist John Field and spread by Chopin.^[3] A vocal piece for two voices sung at night is called nocturne in 1812.^[2][3] English took the musical sense from French by 1851.^[8]

From 1805 les nocturnes are the nocturnal birds of prey.^[2][3] In the 20th century, by shortening of réunion nocturne (1896), the noun named an evening sports meeting (1924, en nocturne 1932) and then the late opening of shops (1967).^[2][3]

Timeline

• c. 1250 – The noun names a part of the night office of matins.^[2][3]
• 1355 – Bersuire uses the adjective for something done at night.^[2][4]
• 1581 – Used of hell in the sense “dark, gloomy”.^[2][3]
• 1606 – Nicot records vision nocturne.^[2]
• 1767 – Malfilâtre uses it of a creature that comes out at night.^[2]
• 1805 – Cuvier calls the birds of prey of the night nocturnes.^[2]
• 1812 – First record for a vocal piece of music.^[2]
• 1851 – English borrows the musical sense.^[8]
• 1924 – The feminine noun names an evening sports meeting.^[2][9]
• 1967 – It names the late opening of shops.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. nocturnal: taking place or done at night: tapage nocturne (a breach of the peace at night).^[10][11][1]
2. Of animals and plants: active, flying or blooming at night, as opposed to diurne.^[10][11]
3. Belonging to the night.^[10][12]

Noun

1. (masculine, music) A nocturne, a free-form piece, mostly for piano, of a dreamy or melancholy character: les nocturnes de Chopin.^[10][11][1]
2. (masculine, Catholic liturgy, historical) Each part of the night office of matines.^[10][11]
3. (masculine) A nocturnal bird of prey, such as an owl.^[10][11]
4. (feminine) An evening sports event, also the late opening of a shop: Le magasin fait nocturne le jeudi.^[10][1]

Word family

• nocturnement

Related words

• nuit
• diurne
• Latin nocturnus
• English nocturne

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d 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. 7, 163b
6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
10. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
12. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse