oing

Forms

oing m (plural oings)^[1] Also oint.^[2][3] Old French oint (late 12th century, Reclus de Moiliens) and oinz (1260); oing from the end of the 15th century.^[4][5][6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French oint, inherited from Latin unctum (“oil for rubbing, ointment”), the neuter past participle of unguō (“to anoint”) used as a noun.^{[5][6][4][1][3]} The spelling with ⟨g⟩ is due to the influence of the Latin verb.^[4] Littré and the Grand Robert give the etymon as unguen (“ointment”) instead.^[7][2] The word belongs to the family of oindre.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1260, in Étienne Boileau's Livre des métiers, where retailers mix their tallow with the leavings of their oinz, meaning grease.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

In the 13th century Rutebeuf says that someone's shoes have no need of oint, grease for leather.^[7] About 1398 the Ménagier de Paris uses viez oint for a grease for treating horses,^[4] and vieil oing (1590), later vieux oing (1636), named melted pork fat used for greasing axles and machinery.^[6][4] The general sense “grease used for anointing” is recorded from 1636, and the word is now archaic.^[6][5]

Timeline

• 1260 – Oinz appears in Étienne Boileau's Livre des métiers.^[5][6]
• c. 1398 – The Ménagier de Paris has viez oint for a horse grease.^[4]
• 1495 – The spelling oing is found in accounts at Tournai.^[5]
• 1590 – First record of vieil oing.^[4][6]
• 1636 – Monet records vieux oing.^[4]
• 1879 – Huysmans uses le vieux oing in Les Sœurs Vatard.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (archaic) grease used for anointing or greasing.^[5][3][7]
2. Vieux oing: melted pork fat, used especially to grease cart axles.^[5][4][7]

Related words

• oindre
• onguent
• onction
• onctueux
• Latin unctum

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette