Etymologically
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papa

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pa.pa/[1]

Forms

papa m (plural papas)[1]

Etymology

It is a word of children's speech, formed by repeating a syllable,[2][3][1] with counterparts in many languages: Ancient Greek πάππας (páppas), Latin pappa, Catalan papa and Spanish papa.[2][3] It answers to the children's word for the mother, maman.[3][4] The Grand Robert and Petit Robert instead derive it from Latin pappus (“grandfather”),[5][6] and the FEW files it under that word.[7] Bloch and Wartburg note other widespread nursery types with voiced labials (bab-, ab-) and with dentals (at(t)a).[4]

Meyer-Lübke says that the French word spread from French into the other Romance languages as a genteel term.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, about 1256 in Aldebrandin of Siena's Régime du corps, uses it of a child's word for its father, beside maman.[2][9]

Semantic evolution

Old French also had a word papa for the pap fed to small children.[10][9] As “father” it was established by the 15th century (1461) and recorded by the Académie in 1694.[2][11]

From the 18th century it was used familiarly of a good-natured older man (1766, Collé; 1745 in a mock-epic);[2][12] hence à la papa “quietly, without hurry” (1800).[2][12] Papa gâteau “indulgent father” dates from 1854, fils à papa “rich man's spoilt son” from the early 20th century, and de papa “old-fashioned” (1959) spread after de Gaulle spoke of l'Algérie de papa.[2][3] In African French it is a respectful term for an older man.[3][13]

Timeline

  • c. 1256 – First record, in Aldebrandin of Siena.[2]
  • 1461 – Used in a sottie.[2]
  • 1680 – Grand papa “grandfather”.[3]
  • 1694 – Recorded by the Académie.[11]
  • 1766 – Used of a good-natured older man.[2]
  • 1800 – À la papa “quietly”.[2][12]
  • 1854 – Papa-gâteau in Augier.[2]
  • 1959 – De papa “old-fashioned”.[3][6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (childish, familiar) Dad, daddy; father, used by children and by adults speaking of their father.[6][14]
  2. (familiar) A good-natured older man.[2][14]
  3. Fils à papa: a rich man's son who lives off his parents' wealth.[2][14]
  4. À la papa: quietly, without hurry or risk.[6][15]
  5. De papa: outdated, old-fashioned: le cinéma de papa.[6][14]
  6. (Africa) A respectful term for an older man.[13][3]

Word family

  • barbe-à-papa
  • grand-papa
  • papa-gâteau
  • papa poule
  • fils à papa
  • maman
  • pape
  • papi

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 588b
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b Tobler, Adolf; Lommatzsch, Erhard (1925–2002), Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch, 11 vols., Berlin / Wiesbaden / Stuttgart: Weidmann / Steiner, p. 7:141
  10. ^ Godefroy, Frédéric (1881–1902), Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle, 10 vols., Paris: Vieweg / Bouillon
  11. ^ a b Académie française (1694), Le Dictionnaire de l'Académie françoise, 1st ed., Paris: Coignard
  12. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  13. ^ a b Base de données lexicographiques panfrancophone (BDLP), Trésor de la langue française au Québec / Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, bdlp.org
  14. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  15. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)