peureux

Forms

peureux (feminine peureuse, masculine plural peureux, feminine plural peureuses)^[1] Old French peoros, peüros, paoros and peeureus; the modern form peureux is found in Oresme in 1370.^[2][3][4][5]

Etymology

It is formed from French peur + -eux.^[2][6][7] The noun goes back through Old French peor to Latin pavor (“fear”).^[6] Wiktionary instead takes the Old French adjective peoros straight from a Vulgar Latin *pavōrōsus, built on the Latin noun.^[1]

Cognate with Occitan pavoros, Spanish pavoroso and Italian pauroso;^[4] Littré also cites Burgundian pôreus and Walloon pawoureu.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as peoros in the Roman d'Eneas (about 1160), of someone who is anxious and in the grip of fear.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In Old French the word was also active, “frightening”, hence “wicked, perverse”.^[2][8] This sense died out in central French but lived on in the centre-west and south of France, of places that inspire fear.^[8]

The passive sense “easily frightened” is the modern one, first found in the modern form in Oresme (1370).^[8][3] Its use for what shows fear, such as a look or a gesture, is dated to the middle of the 16th century, in Ronsard.^[3] The derived adverb peureusement is older than the adjective's modern form: päurosement appears about 1200, meaning “in a frightening way”, before taking its present sense.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1160 – Peoros appears in the Roman d'Eneas.^[2]
• c. 1200 – The adverb päurosement is recorded.^[8]
• c. 1225 – The form peeureus is found in Bueve de Hantone.^[3]
• 1370 – Oresme writes peureux in the sense “easily frightened”.^[3][4][5]
• Mid-16th century – Ronsard uses it of what shows fear.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Easily frightened, timid, fearful: peureux comme un lièvre.^[2][7][9]
2. In the grip of fear at a given moment: Le petit chien restait tout peureux sous la table.^[7][9][3]
3. Showing fear: un regard peureux.^[7][3]

Noun

1. A coward, a timid person: c'est un peureux.^[7][9][4]

Word family

• peureusement
• apeuré

Related words

• peur
• Latin pavor

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b 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 Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)