peso

Forms

peso m (plural pesos)^[3] It was first francized as peze (1598).^[1][4] The reformed spelling is péso.^[5][6]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Spanish peso (“weight”), the name of a monetary unit, recorded in Spanish as pezo in 1672 and in its present form in 1681.^[1][4] The Spanish word properly means “weight” (of gold) and goes back to Latin pensum (“weight”),^[1][4][7] like French poids.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found, as peze, in 1598 in R. Regnault's translation of J. Acosta's Spanish Histoire naturelle et moralle des Indes.^[1][4] The Dictionnaire de Trévoux records it again in 1752 as a money of account of Spain.^[1]

Semantic evolution

After the isolated record of 1598 the word came back in 1752;^[1][4] the Grand Robert and Petit Robert date it from 1839, with an isolated record in a translation of 1787,^[7][2] and the GLLF from the Larousse of 1875.^[8][9] Larousse gives it two senses: a gold coin struck in Spain from the 15th century, worth eight reals, and the main monetary unit of several Latin American countries and of the Philippines.^[5]

The Spanish diminutive peseta, the Spanish unit of currency, was borrowed in 1787 as pesetta and was used familiarly for “money” from 1903 until about 1950.^[4]

Timeline

• 1598 – Peze appears in a translation from Spanish.^[1][4]
• 1752 – The Dictionnaire de Trévoux records it as a Spanish money of account.^[1]
• 1787 – Isolated record in a translation.^[7][2]
• 1839 – Date of first record in the Grand Robert and Petit Robert.^[7][2][9]
• 1875 – Recorded by Larousse.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. The peso, the monetary unit of several Latin American countries, such as Argentina, Mexico and Chile, and of the Philippines.^[1][5][6]
2. (history) A Spanish gold coin struck from the 15th century, worth eight reals.^[5]

Related words

• poids
• pensum
• Spanish peseta

Usage notes

The pronunciation varies between /pezo/ and /peso/.^[1][2] In the traditional spelling the word has no accent despite its pronunciation; the reformed spelling of 1990 writes péso.^[5][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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
2. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
6. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
7. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF