parpaing

Forms

parpaing m (plural parpaings)^[1] Older spellings perpein (1291) and parpain (1304); parpaing is found from 1676.^[2][3] The forms parpaigne and parpeigne were used as nouns and adjectives.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *perpetaneus (“uninterrupted”), the probable etymon, an extension of perpes (“uninterrupted, continuous”), of the same type as subitāneus beside subitus (whence soudain) and capitāneus beside caput (whence capitaine).^[6][7][4][8] The etymon is required by the various French forms and by Spanish perpiaño and an Apulian dialect word for a stone balcony parapet, while Romansh partaun “crosspiece” points to *perpetanus.^[6][4] Rey sees in it the idea of a lasting material.^[7]

Littré took the word for a compound of per (“through”) and probably pan¹,^[5] and Wiktionary also mentions *perpedaneum, from pēs (“foot”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, in the municipal archives of Douai in 1268, is the mason's sense: a cut stone running through the whole thickness of a wall.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The word stayed a masons' term for the through stone with two faces;^[2][6] parpaing d'appui named the sill stone of a window from 1694.^[2][6] In the 20th century it passed to the moulded block of mortar, cement or cinder (1927), its usual sense today.^[6][7][2]

It is sometimes used familiarly for a stone thrown as a missile and, by metonymy, for a punch, as slang pain is.^[7]

Timeline

• 1268 – First recorded in the archives of Douai.^[6]
• 1284 – Bloch and Wartburg's date of first record.^[4]
• 1291 – Perpein means the direction of the length in a building stone.^[2][3]
• 1304 – The spelling parpain is found.^[2][3]
• 1676 – The spelling parpaing is used by Félibien.^[2]
• 1694 – Thomas Corneille records parpaings d'appui.^[2]
• 1927 – First record of the sense “cement block”.^[6]
• 1935 – The Académie records the block sense.^[2][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. (masonry) A through stone or perpend, a cut stone that takes up the whole thickness of a wall and shows a face on each side.^[9][6][1]
2. A building block of cement, concrete or cinder: un garage en parpaings.^[9][6][1]
3. (familiar) A stone thrown as a missile; a punch.^[7]

Adjective

1. (masonry) Of a stone: running through the wall: pierre parpaigne.^[1][4]

Related words

• perpétuel
• Latin perpes

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, 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. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
7. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 8, 258a
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert