outre

outre¹ wineskin

Etymology tree of outre¹

inherited borrowed derived

Latin uter

Italian otre

French outre

From the same root · outre¹

Latin alteruter ← uter

Latin neuter ← uter

Latin uterque ← uter

Latin utrum ← uter

Pronunciation

• /utʁ/^[1]

Forms

outre f (plural outres)^[1] Middle French oustre, oultre, and in Olivier de Serres ouiltre, ouistre.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

The word for the wineskin is borrowed from Latin uter (“leather bag for liquids”), first recorded in 1389.^[2][3][5] The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert date it to about 1400 and gloss the Latin word as “belly”.^[6][7] The Latin word was masculine, and so was the French word at first: the feminine is only certain from the early 17th century.^[2][3][1]

Rey mentions a hypothesis that the Latin word was borrowed, perhaps through Etruscan, from Ancient Greek ὑδρία (hudría, “water jar”), a derivative of ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”).^[3] Littré compared it instead with οὖθαρ (oûthar, “udder”).^[4] The late 16th-century forms of the Ardèche writer Olivier de Serres (see Forms) look like hybrids crossed with Occitan oire (“wineskin”), found in 16th-century authors.^[3][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In 1389 Philippe de Mézières, in the Songe du Vieil pelerin, writes that the king kept his wine in nothing but un oustre de cuir, a leather wineskin.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Like Latin uter, the word grew from the sense of a skin container into figurative uses in which it stands for bulk and for emptiness, often alluding to the bag of winds that Aeolus gave to Ulysses in the Odyssey.^[3] The Robert of 1967 records être plein comme une outre, said of someone who has drunk or eaten too much.^[9][7] Littré also gives a botanical sense, a sac formed by a leaf that can hold liquid, as in the pitcher plants, and outre de mer as a popular name of the sea squirts.^[4]

Timeline

• 1389 – Oustre and oultre in Philippe de Mézières' Songe du Vieil pelerin.^[2][3]
• 1566 – The spelling outre in Henri Estienne's Apologie pour Hérodote.^[2]
• 1596 – Hulsius lists Oultres without a gender.^[2]
• Late 16th century – Olivier de Serres writes ouiltres and ouistres.^[3][4]
• 1611 – Cotgrave gives the word as feminine.^[2][3]
• 1967 – The Robert records être plein comme une outre.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A goatskin sewn into a bag, used to keep and carry liquids such as wine or water.^[7][2][10]
2. (familiar) Être plein comme une outre: to have drunk or eaten far too much.^[7][10][11]
3. (botany) A sac formed by a leaf, able to hold liquid, as in the pitcher plants.^[4]

outre² beyond, besides

Etymology tree of outre²

inherited borrowed derived

Latin ūls

Latin ultrā

French outre

Italian oltre

From the same root · outre²

English ultrasound ← ultrā

Italian inoltre ← oltre

Pronunciation

• /utʁ/^[1]

Forms

outre (invariable)^[1] Old French ultre, oltre, utre, otre;^[12][4][1] Middle French oultre.^[12][4][1]

Etymology

The word for “beyond, besides” is inherited from Old French oltre, inherited from Latin ultrā (“on the other side, beyond, further”).^{[1][3][6][8][13]} The Latin form itself is found first, in 1050, and the French form in 1080.^[3][6]

Rey derives the Latin word from the old preposition uls (“beyond”), still used by Cato but otherwise surviving only in formulas, and links it with a group of words in which ⟨l⟩ marks the distant object, such as ille (“that one”), ōlim (“once”) and alius (“other”).^[3] The learned ultra- is a doublet.^[1][6] Cognate with Walloon oult, Old Occitan oltra and Italian oltre.^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Latin form ultra appears in 1050 in passer ultra “to pass through”.^[3] The Chanson de Roland (1080) has ultre, as in tout le fer lui mist ultre “he drove the whole blade through him”.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

The adverb expressed the idea of “further, beyond”, kept in passer outre (1165–1170), first “to go on one's way”, figuratively “to carry on” (1370).^[3] In law, from 1549, the phrase meant to go ahead despite an objection, hence today “to disregard” an opinion, refusal or objection.^[3] In Old French the word also meant “right through”, in d'outre en outre (1176).^[3][4] Other phrases still in use, though rather literary, are en outre “besides” (1175) and outre mesure “beyond measure” (1174).^[3]

As a preposition it meant “beyond” from 1080 and “in addition to” from 1160–1174.^[3] The conjunction outre ce que (1355) survives in the shorter outre que (1590).^[3]

Joined to a noun, outre formed adverbial phrases, the oldest being outre-mer (1080, d'ultremer), which in the 20th century came to name the French overseas departments and territories.^[3] As a noun, outremer named lapis lazuli (1676) and its colour (1668).^[3] Outre-Manche (1825), outre-monts (1830) and outre-tombe, first used by Chateaubriand in a letter of 1832, are later formations.^[3] The word once formed many compounds, but it no longer makes new ones.^[8]

Timeline

• 1050 – The Latin form ultra in passer ultra.^[3][6]
• 1080 – Ultre and d'ultremer in the Chanson de Roland.^[3][4]
• 1165–1170 – Passer outre “to go on one's way”.^[3]
• 1174 – Outre mesure.^[3]
• 1175 – En outre “besides”.^[3]
• 1176 – D'outre en outre “right through”.^[3]
• 1355 – The conjunction outre ce que.^[3]
• 1549 – Passer outre in law, “to proceed despite an objection”.^[3]
• 1590 – Outre que.^[3]
• 1825 – Outre-Manche.^[3]
• 1832 – Chateaubriand uses outre-tombe.^[3]

Meanings

Preposition

1. In addition to, besides: Outre le loyer, il faut payer le chauffage.^[10][11][7]
2. Outre que (with the indicative): besides the fact that.^[10][11]
3. (in compounds) beyond: outre-Atlantique “in America”, outre-Manche “in Britain”, outre-Rhin, outre-tombe.^[7][11][10]

Adverb

1. Passer outre: to go further, passer outre à to disregard an objection or opposition.^[7][10][11]
2. En outre: moreover, in addition.^[10]
3. Outre mesure: excessively.^[10]

Word family

• outrage
• outrer
• outrance
• outre-mer
• outre-Atlantique
• outre-Manche
• outre-Rhin
• outre-tombe
• outrepasser
• outrecuidance