Etymologically
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nom

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Paris): /nɔ̃/[1]
  • IPA (Quebec): /nõʊ̯̃/[1]

Forms

nom m (plural noms)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French nom, inherited from Latin nōmen (“name; title; renown”).[2][3][4][5][1] The Latin word goes back to Proto-Italic *nomən and Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥, the source also of Ancient Greek ὄνομα (ónoma), Sanskrit नामन् (nā́man), Old Church Slavonic имѧ (imę) and English name.[1][3][6]

In Latin “nōmen” was distinguished by grammarians from verbum and also meant a people's name, fame, and, as opposed to the thing, a mere appearance.[3] Cognate with Romanian nume, Italian nome, Portuguese nome, Occitan nom, Catalan nom and Spanish nombre.[6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 880 in the Séquence de sainte Eulalie, in lo nom christiien “the Christian name”, that is, Christianity; the Vie de saint Léger (late 10th century) uses it for the name of a person.[2][3][7]

Semantic evolution

By 1080 it also named things, then animals (1121–34) and peoples or places (after 1170).[3][2] Nom de baptême is from the 13th century, nom de famille from 1538 and nom de guerre from 1660, petit nom for the first name dates from 1862.[2][7]

From 1176–81 it took up the Latin sense “renown”, as in laisser un nom (1674) and se faire un nom (1687), and by metonymy the family line (about 1223) and nobility (1276–77).[3][2] The grammatical sense appears in propre nuns (Wace, 1155) and nom commun (1550).[2] Au nom de “in the name of” is found from about 1100.[2] Oaths came later: nom de Dieu ! (1790), nom d'une pipe ! (1790), nom d'un chien ! (1869).[3]

Timeline

  • c. 880 – Lo nom christiien in the Séquence de sainte Eulalie.[2]
  • Late 10th century – A person's name, in the Vie de saint Léger.[2]
  • c. 1100 – El num de “in honour of” in the Vie de saint Alexis.[2]
  • 1155 – Propre nuns “proper noun” in Wace.[2]
  • 1538 – Nom de famille in Robert Estienne.[2]
  • 1550 – Nom commun in Meigret's grammar.[2]
  • 1660 – Nom de guerre.[2]
  • 1790 – The oath nom de Dieu !.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A name: the word by which a person, place or thing is called.[6][8]
  2. A surname, family name: nom et prénom.[1][6]
  3. Renown, reputation: se faire un nom.[2][6]
  4. (grammar) A noun: nom propre, nom commun.[1][8]
  5. Au nom de: in the name of, on behalf of.[2][1]
  6. In oaths: nom de Dieu !, nom d'un chien !.[1][3]

Word family

  • dénommer
  • innommable
  • innommé
  • nommé
  • prénommer
  • renommée
  • renommé
  • renommer
  • surnommer
  • nommer
  • prénom
  • agnom
  • agnomen
  • cognom
  • cognomen
  • dénomination
  • nomenclature
  • nominal
  • nominalement
  • nominateur
  • nominatif
  • renom
  • pronom
  • Latin nōmen
  • English noun

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b 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, 175a
  6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)