pancréas

Forms

pancréas m (invariable)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek πάγκρεας (pánkreas), a compound of πᾶν (pân, “all”), the neuter of πᾶς (pâs), and κρέας (kréas, “flesh”), the gland being so named because it looks like a piece of flesh.^[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary has it come through Latin pancreas.^[1] Rey traces the Greek noun to the Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *kreu- (“raw, bloody flesh”), also behind cru².^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ambroise Paré used it in 1562 in his first book of anatomy, explaining that the gland is so called “pour ce qu'il a partout similitude de chair” (because it looks like flesh throughout).^[2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its anatomical sense; it produced learned derivatives such as pancréatique (1665), pancréatite (1810) and pancréatine (1832), and in the 20th century pancréatectomie “removal of the pancreas”.^[3]

Timeline

• 1541 – First date given by Bloch and Wartburg and the Robert dictionaries.^[4][7][8]
• 1562 – Ambroise Paré uses it in his first book of anatomy.^[2][3]
• 1665 – The adjective pancréatique is recorded.^[3]
• 1810 – Pancréatite “inflammation of the pancreas” appears.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (anatomy) The pancreas, a long gland behind the stomach that pours digestive juice into the duodenum and produces insulin.^[8][2][5]

Word family

• pancréatique
• pancréatite
• pancréatine
• pancréatectomie

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert