Etymologically
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piste

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Pronunciation

Forms

piste f (plural pistes)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian pista (“track, trail”), a variant of pesta, the only usual form today, recorded from 1550 as a riding-school term for the tracks left by horses.[2][3][1][4] The Italian noun is a deverbal of pestare (“to trample; to pound”), from Late Latin pistō (“to pound”), itself from classical pīnsō (“to pound”).[2][3][5][6] Bloch and Wartburg explain the /i/ of the Italian form as a Roman or Neapolitan form.[7] Bloch and Wartburg date the word to 1571; the TLFi and Rey find it in 1559.[7][2][3]

The English word piste (1727) was taken from it.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

François de Rabutin's Commentaires (1559) speak of une piste et fraie freshly beaten by many horses.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The trail of a man is recorded in 1562 and that of a wild animal in 1580, the year Montaigne has marcher sur la piste d'autruy figuratively.[2][3] From this came the sense of a lead or set of clues guiding a search for someone (1604).[2] In 1584 a translation from Italian uses it of the track horses leave in a riding school.[2][3]

The other senses developed after 1850: a rough road through undeveloped country (1854), a racecourse (1860), a cycle track (1869, piste vélocipédique 1892, now piste cyclable), a circus ring (1908–1910), a dance floor (1913) and an airfield runway (1910).[2][3] Ski runs are an essential use, and hors-piste became a noun in the 1990s.[3][9] The piste sonore of a film is from 1932, and in African French faire la piste is to drive where there are no modern roads.[2][3]

Timeline

  • 1559 – A trail of horses, in François de Rabutin.[2]
  • 1562 – The trail of a man.[2]
  • 1580 – Figurative use, in Montaigne.[2]
  • 1604 – A lead in a search.[2]
  • 1854 – A rough road, in Maxime Du Camp.[2]
  • 1860 – A racecourse.[2]
  • 1903 – Ski tracks in the snow.[9]
  • 1910 – An airfield runway.[2]
  • 1932 – Piste sonore.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A trail, track left by an animal or person: suivre la piste d'un lièvre.[6][10]
  2. (figurative) A lead, a line of inquiry: la police est sur sa piste, brouiller les pistes, to cover one's tracks, fausse piste, a false trail.[6][11][1]
  3. A rough road or track in undeveloped country.[2][3]
  4. A course or track for racing; a cycle lane: piste cyclable.[1][3]
  5. A ski run: piste de ski.[12][3]
  6. An airfield runway.[1][3]
  7. A circus ring; a dance floor, en piste !, let's go![1][3]
  8. A track of a sound recording: piste sonore.[1][2]

Word family

  • hors-piste
  • pistard
  • pister
  • dépister
  • pisteur
  • pisé
  • English piste

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 q r s 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 i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 8, 598b
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  12. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse