perne

Forms

perne f (plural pernes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin perna (“thigh, ham, a kind of shellfish”).^[2][3][4] Wiktionary instead treats it as inherited.^[1] Littré explains the zoological name by the shell's likeness to a ham, the shell being also called jambon.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1367–70, meaning a ham, in the accounts of the King of Navarre, which list 115 pernes de lart “hams of bacon”.^[2][5][6] In Anglo-Norman perne “ham, gammon” is found in the 13th century.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The sense “ham” belonged to medieval French; a Glasgow glossary renders Latin perna by perne.^[5] In 1805 Cuvier took the word from Latin for a genus of bivalve molluscs, a sense the Grand Robert dates from 1806.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 1367–70 – It means “ham” in the accounts of the King of Navarre.^[2][5]
• 1805 – Cuvier uses it for a genus of molluscs.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (zoology) A genus of bivalve molluscs with thin, flat shells, close to the wing oysters, that fix themselves to rocks.^[2][4][1]
2. (historical) A ham.^[2][6]

Related words

• Latin perna

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b c 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
6. ^ a b Dictionnaire du Moyen Français, version 2015 (DMF 2015), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/dmf
7. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)