océanique

Forms

océanique (plural océaniques)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin ōceanicus (“of the ocean”),^[2][3][4][1] from ōceanus,^[5][4] which is from Ancient Greek Ὠκεανός (Ōkeanós).^[1] The TLFi and Rey note that it was borrowed twice, in the 16th century and again in the 19th century.^[2][3] The GLLF instead derives it from océan.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1548 in Antoine Mizauld's Mirouer de l'air, in navigateurs océaniques “ocean-going navigators”.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

After Mizauld the adjective is not found again until Cotgrave (1611), meaning belonging to the ocean.^[2][3] It was borrowed afresh in the 19th century (1813), with the learned sense “living in the ocean” recorded in 1840 and applied to fish in 1845.^[3][2] It replaced the rare océanien in the sense “of the ocean”.^[3]

Huysmans used it figuratively in 1887, of something vast like an ocean.^[2][6] Geographers speak of a climat océanique from 1908 (Martonne), a climate under the ocean's influence.^[6] In Canada it has meant crossing the oceans, as in paquebot océanique, since 1945.^[4]

Timeline

• 1548 – Mizauld writes of navigateurs océaniques.^[2]
• 1611 – Cotgrave records the sense “belonging to the ocean”.^[2]
• 1813 – Borrowed again from Latin, in Ramond.^[2][3]
• 1840 – The sense “living in the ocean” is recorded.^[2][3]
• 1887 – Huysmans uses it figuratively.^[2]
• 1908 – Climat océanique is used by Martonne.^[6]
• 1945 – Canadian use for ships crossing the ocean.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Belonging or relating to the ocean or to an ocean: les grands fonds océaniques.^[4][7][2]
2. Near the ocean and under its influence: un climat océanique, with small differences of temperature.^[4][7][6]
3. (figurative) Vast like an ocean.^[2][1]
4. (Canada) Crossing the oceans, transatlantic: un paquebot océanique.^[4]

Related words

• océan
• océanien
• Océanide
• océanographie
• Latin ōceanus

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 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)