Etymologically
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pantalon

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pɑ̃.ta.lɔ̃/[1]

Forms

pantalon m (plural pantalons)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian Pantalone, the name of a buffoon of the commedia dell'arte who wore a garment all of one piece, with the hose falling straight to the feet.[2][3][4][5] He was the stock figure of the old man, gouty, stooping, greedy and always duped, and first appeared at Venice;[3] in Italian the name was a nickname for Venetians, because the given name was common there in honour of Saint Pantaleone, patron of the city.[2][3][4] The saint's name is Latin Pantaleon, of Greek origin;[6] Littré explains it as “all-merciful”.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chronique bordeloise (1550) speaks of actors l'un vestu en Pantalon, l'autre en Zani, “one dressed as Pantalone, the other as Zanni”.[3][4][6] The TLFi's first record of the name is in Brantôme (1583–1584).[2]

Semantic evolution

From 1585 the word named the costume of Pantalone, a one-piece suit from neck to feet with straight legs.[2][3] Furetière (1690) describes it as a one-piece garment with the stockings, or close breeches held up with the stockings; the Grand Robert and the GLLF date that sense to 1650.[3][9][6] The modern long trousers came with the Revolution, in contrast to the knee breeches, the culotte (compare sans-culotte): the TLFi finds it in Marat in 1790, the Robert dictionaries in 1802.[2][3][10]

From 1797 it also named a women's undergarment worn beneath the petticoats.[2][3][11] In the 19th century it was a theatre term for a painted flat (1840) and the name of a figure of the quadrille (1842).[2] Of the character came un Pantalon “buffoonish hypocrite” (1650, Retz, 1679) and pantalonnade (1597).[3][2][4] English pantaloon (1580s) and pantaloons (1660s) have the same origin.[8]

Timeline

  • 1550 – Pantalon as the name of the character.[3]
  • 1585 – The costume of Pantalone.[2]
  • 1597 – Pantalonnade.[4]
  • 1650 – Close breeches joined to the stockings.[9]
  • 1660s – English pantaloons.[8]
  • 1790 – Long trousers, in Marat.[2]
  • 1797 – A women's undergarment.[2]
  • 1840 – A painted flat in the theatre.[2]
  • 1842 – A figure of the quadrille.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Trousers, pants: enfiler son pantalon, pantalon court.[10][1]
  2. (dated) Women's drawers, knickers.[1][3]
  3. (theatre, dated) A painted flat masking an opening in the set.[3][2]
  4. (dance) The first figure of the quadrille.[2]
  5. (dated) A buffoonish hypocrite.[2]

Word family

  • pantalonnade
  • culotte
  • bénard

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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 h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 564b
  6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  11. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF