nouveau-né

Forms

nouveau-né (feminine nouveau-née or nouvelle-née, masculine plural nouveau-nés or nouveaux-nés, feminine plural nouveau-nées or nouvelles-nées)^[1] Old French noviax nés in the earliest record.^[2] The Petit Robert notes that the plurals nouveaux-nés and the feminine nouvelles-nées are sometimes found beside nouveau-nés and nouveau-nées.^[3]

Etymology

It is formed from French nouveau + né, in which the first element is used as an adverb meaning “recently” and the second is the past participle of naître “to be born”.^[4][3][5][2] The FEW lists it under Latin nāscor (“to be born”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Huon de Bordeaux (about 1225, the end of the 12th century according to the Grand Robert and the GLLF): nes et purs com s'il fust noviax nés “clean and pure as if he were newly born”.^[2][4][5]

Semantic evolution

First an adjective, “just born”, it was used figuratively from the 16th century of something that has only just appeared: Joachim Du Bellay used it so before 1559.^[5][3] The noun un nouveau-né, a newborn child, is recorded by Richelet in 1680, and later also covers a young animal just born.^[5][3] In medicine it now names a baby less than 28 days old,^[3] or, in the TLFi's definition, a child from birth to the fall of the umbilical cord.^[2] Because nouveau is an adverb in the compound, it normally stays invariable, but the Petit Robert notes plurals such as Moréas's nouveaux-nés.^[3][5]

Timeline

• c. 1225 – Huon de Bordeaux has noviax nés “newly born”.^[2]
• Before 1559 – Joachim Du Bellay uses it figuratively for “newly appeared”.^[5]
• 1680 – Richelet records the noun nouveau-né.^[5][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Newborn, just born: un poulain nouveau-né.^[3][2]
2. (figurative, literary) Of very recent appearance: une république nouveau-née.^[3][5]

Noun

1. A newborn child or animal, born a few days before.^[3][2]
2. (medicine) A baby under 28 days old; a neonate.^[3]

Related words

• nouveau
• naître
• nourrisson
• néonatal

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 21a