oued

Forms

oued m (plural oueds)^[1] Earlier ouadi (1807) and wadi (1845–1846); oued from 1849.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Arabic وَادٍ (wādin, “valley, riverbed, river”), the indefinite form of the word, whose definite form is الوادي (al-wādī).^[3][1] The French form reflects the pronunciation of the word in colloquial Arabic.^[3][4] Etymonline explains the Arabic noun as a participle of a verb meaning “it flowed”.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Recorded as ouadi in 1807, it named a riverbed or river in Arabic-speaking lands.^[2][6] The form oued is first found in 1849, in an account of General Cavaignac's expedition in the Algerian Sahara, which speaks of the banks of the oued of the Tell.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The word first meant a riverbed or a river, then also a valley.^[2] It named the rivers of North Africa and was then applied in geography to all the intermittent watercourses of dry regions, especially in the Sahara, which are dry most of the time but can carry a strong flood of water and mud.^[7][2] It also names the dry bed of such a desert stream.^[3] The Grand Robert gives the Arabic sense as “watercourse”, then “valley”.^[8]

Timeline

• 1807 – First recorded as ouadi.^[2][6]
• 1845–1846 – Bescherelle records wadi.^[3]
• 1849 – The form oued appears in F. Jacquot's account of an expedition in the Algerian Sahara.^[3][9]
• 1853 – Ouadi is still used by d'Escayrac de Lauture.^[3]
• 1874 – Recorded by Larousse.^[7][9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A river of North Africa or the Middle East.^[3][10][11]
2. (geography) A wadi: an intermittent watercourse of arid regions, dry for most of the year.^[3][6][11]
3. The dry bed of such a watercourse: Nous avons suivi le lit de l'oued jusqu'au puits.^[3]

Related words

• English wadi

Usage notes

The French plural is oueds.^[11][1] The plural ouadi, found beside oueds, is not the Arabic plural but the older form ouadi treated as invariable.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
4. ^ Wiktionnaire (French Wiktionary), fr.wiktionary.org
5. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)