piment

Forms

piment m (plural piments)^[1] Old French pimenc (late 10th century), piment, piument.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin pigmentum (“colouring matter”),^[2][5][1][6] from pingō (“to paint”);^[3] in Late Latin the word came to mean aromatics and spices, because of their use as dyes.^[5][2] The modern sense, the capsicum plant and its fruit (1664), is a semantic loan from Spanish pimiento, of the same origin;^[2][5][1] the Robert dictionaries call it a borrowing from Spanish,^[7] and Bloch and Wartburg a borrowing from a southern language, comparing Old Occitan pimen and Catalan pimen.^[4] The learned pigment is its doublet.^[1]

Cognate with Italian pimento, Portuguese pimenta and Spanish pimienta.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as pimenc in the late 10th century in the Passion, meaning a balm or fragrant spice.^[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

In Old French the word kept the Late Latin sense “balm, fragrant spice”, and had derivatives tied to the making of perfumes, such as pimentier “perfumer” (about 1190) and empimenter “to embalm, perfume”.^[5] It also named a drink of wine, honey and spices (about 1100, in the Chanson de Roland), a sense that lived until the 16th century.^[2][5]

The modern sense appears in a tariff of 1664 (poivre du brezil ou piment).^[2][9] Balzac uses it figuratively for what gives spice to something in Le Lys dans la vallée (1836).^[2][5] In Quebec piment is also the usual word for the sweet pepper, where European French says poivron, and piment there suggests a hot, exotic cuisine.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 980 – Pimenc “balm, spice” appears in the Passion.^[2][3]
• c. 1100 – The Chanson de Roland uses it of a spiced wine.^[2][3]
• c. 1190 – The derivative pimentier “perfumer” is recorded.^[5]
• 16th century – The sense “spiced wine” falls out of use.^[5]
• 1664 – A tariff uses it for the chili pepper.^[2][9]
• 1740 – Pimentade, a pepper sauce, is recorded.^[5]
• 1826 – Brillat-Savarin uses the participle pimenté.^[5]
• 1836 – Balzac uses it figuratively.^[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A capsicum, a plant of the nightshade family grown for its fruit, and the fruit itself;^[7][2] piment doux is the sweet pepper.^[7][2]
2. Piment rouge, or simply piment: the hot chili pepper used as a condiment: elle ajoute toujours du piment à la sauce.^[7][1]
3. (figurative) What gives spice or zest to something.^[7][2][1]
4. (historical) A medieval drink of wine, honey and spices.^[2][9]

Word family

• pimenter
• pimentade

Related words

• pigment
• Latin pigmentum

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ 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
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 8, 445b
7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette