papaye

Forms

papaye f (plural papayes)^[1] First written papaie (1579); papaye from 1664.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Spanish papaya, which is probably from a Carib language.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} The Spanish word is recorded from 1535.^[2] Bloch and Wartburg, the Grand Robert and the Petit Robert derive the French word directly from Carib papaya of the Antilles,^[6][7][8] while Etymonline calls the Spanish word probably Arawakan.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears as papaie in 1579, in Urbain Chauveton's translation of Benzoni's Italian history of the New World.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It names the fruit of a tree first grown in Central and South America and now also in Asia and Africa,^[3] and is more common in the French of the tropics, where phrases such as papaye solo, a small papaya with orange flesh, are used.^[3] In New Caledonian French papayes is a joking word for large breasts.^[3]

Timeline

• 1535 – Spanish papaya is first recorded.^[2]
• 1579 – Papaie appears in Chauveton's translation of Benzoni.^[2][3][4]
• 1654 – The derivative papayer “papaya tree” appears.^[6][3]
• 1664 – The spelling papaye is used by Antoine Biet.^[2][4]
• 1866 – The derivative papaïne appears, according to the DHLF; the TLFi dates it 1886.^[3][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A papaya, the edible oblong fruit of the papayer, with orange flesh and many black seeds.^[8][5][10]
2. (New Caledonia, humorous, in the plural) Large breasts.^[3]

Word family

• papayer
• papaïne

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
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
9. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ Wiktionnaire (French Wiktionary), fr.wiktionary.org