peu

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pø/^[1]

Forms

peu (comparative moins, superlative le moins)^[1] Old French pou (1050), poi (1080), peu (about 1150–70).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French poi, inherited from Vulgar Latin *paucum, an adverb formed on the neuter of Classical Latin paucus (“few, little”), used mostly in the plural “paucī” “few”.^[2][5][6][3] It eliminated the classical adverbs parum (“too little”) and paulum (“a little”).^[6] “Paucus” belongs to a stem also seen in paulus (“small”), pauper (“poor”) (whence pauvre), parvus (“small”) and Ancient Greek παῦρος (paûros, “few, small”), and in Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌹 (faiwai, “few”) and English few.^[2][7][8] Wiktionary traces it to Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, little”).^[1]

It exists in all the Romance languages except Romanian: Italian poco, Spanish poco, Occitan pauc, Catalan poc and Portuguese pouco.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) pou is used with a verb for a short time.^[9][2]

Semantic evolution

Poi marked a small quantity from the early 12th century, as in ne peu ne prou (1559), later peu ou prou “more or less” (1600).^[9][2] It entered phrases followed by the subjunctive, such as pour peu que (1080), tant soit peu (1369) and si peu que (1549), and was used with adjectives from 1504.^[2][9] From the beginning of the 12th century, preceded by un, it took a positive value, un peu “a little”.^[2][9] À peu près dates from 1487 and peu à peu from the 13th century (Rutebeuf).^[4]

In the Gallo-Romance dialects peu competes with newer expressions, notably un petit in the west, found in French from the first texts to the 17th century; popular un petit peu seems to blend un peu and un petit.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – Pou in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[9]
• 1080 – Por poi que in the Chanson de Roland.^[9][2]
• early 12th century – Un poi “a little”.^[9][2]
• 13th century – Pou a pou “little by little”.^[4]
• 1487 – À peu près.^[4]
• 1600 – Peu ou prou.^[9]

Meanings

Adverb

1. little, not much: il mange peu, peu de, few, little: peu de gens.^[1][7]
2. Not very: peu probable.^[9][7]
3. Un peu: a little, a bit: un peu de sel.^[7][2]
4. Peu à peu: little by little, à peu près: nearly, about, sous peu, avant peu: soon.^[4]
5. Pour peu que + subjunctive: if only, however little.^[2]

Noun

1. Le peu de: the small amount of: le peu d'argent qui lui reste.^[7][1]

Related words

• pauvre
• petit
• Latin paucus

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 8, 51a
6. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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