pelle

Forms

pelle f (plural pelles)^[1] Old French pele (11th century); the spelling pelle is found from the 13th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French pele, inherited from Latin pāla (“spade, shovel”).^[5][2][1][6] Rey explains the Latin word as properly “what is driven in”, formed with the root of pāx and pāgus.^[2] The form pale, found since the late 13th century for the blade of an oar, is a doublet, probably from Occitan or a western dialect.^[7][1]

Cognate with Italian pala, Old Occitan pala and Spanish pala.^[7][8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded as pele in the 11th-century French glosses of Simson of Sens, for a baker's oven peel.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Of the Latin senses French kept the tool with a handle and a concave blade.^[2] À la pelle “in great quantity” (1640) was preceded by par pelle (1622–23).^[2][5] Pelle d'aviron (1831) is the flat end of an oar; kitchen names such as pelle à tarte are recent (1926); and the earth-moving pelle mécanique is from 1932.^[2][5]

Villon already used it in a figurative phrase, frapper au cul la pelle “to treat harshly” (1461).^[5][9] Ramasser une pelle “to fall” (1889) and “failure” (1896) may come from such phrases, though Rey thinks the link doubtful.^[2][5] Rouler une pelle, a deep kiss, is unexplained.^[2]

Timeline

• 1000s – Pele, an oven peel, in the glosses of Simson of Sens.^[5]
• 13th century – The spelling pelle.^[2]
• 1461 – Villon's frapper au cul la pelle.^[5]
• 1640 – Remuer les écus à la pelle (Oudin).^[5]
• 1690 – The derivative pelletée.^[2]
• 1831 – Pelle d'aviron.^[5]
• 1889 – Ramasser une pelle “to fall”.^[5][10]
• 1932 – Pelle mécanique.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A shovel, a tool made of a thin blade fixed to a handle: creuser avec une pelle.^[11][5]
2. A kitchen or table utensil of that shape, such as pelle à tarte.^[11][5]
3. À la pelle: in great quantity.^[11][2]
4. Pelle mécanique: a mechanical excavator.^[11][2]
5. (nautical) The flat blade of an oar.^[11][5]
6. (familiar) Ramasser or se prendre une pelle: to fall, figuratively to fail.^[11][2]
7. (familiar) A French kiss: rouler une pelle.^[11][1]

Word family

• paleron
• palet
• palette
• pelletée
• pelleter
• pelleteur
• pelleteuse
• pelle-pioche

Related words

• pale
• Latin pāla

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 476a
7. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
11. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert