plante

plante¹ sole of the foot

Etymology tree of plante¹

inherited borrowed derived

Latin planta

Italian pianta

French plante

Romanian plântă

From the same root · plante¹

English plant ← planta

Latin plantō ← planta

Latin supplantō ← planta

Pronunciation

• /plɑ̃t/^[1]

Forms

plante f (plural plantes)^[1]

Etymology

The word for the sole of the foot is inherited from Latin planta (“sole of the foot, foot”).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Rey notes that the Latin form has no exact match in the other languages; like unda, it is probably a noun formed on a present stem with a nasal infix that has not survived, from the root also seen in Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús, “broad”).^[4] Wiktionary traces it through Proto-Italic *plāntā to Proto-Indo-European *pléh₂-n̥t-eh₂, from *pleh₂- (“flat”).^[1] The Grand Robert takes the Latin word for the sole and the Latin word for a cutting to be one and the same.^[5]

Cognate with Italian pianta, Occitan planta and Spanish planta.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1150, in the Roman de Thèbes, for the underside of the foot.^[2] A sermon of Saint Bernard of about 1190 has dès la plante del pied enjosk' al chief “from the sole of the foot to the head”.^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

The word kept the Latin sense.^[4] Because it sounds the same as plante “plant”, it is seldom used alone: French mostly says plante du pied.^[4][8] Used by itself it is now dated, as in the familiar user ses plantes “to walk too long”.^[8][2] In 1845 Bescherelle records its use for the underside of the foot of plantigrade animals and birds.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 1150 – First recorded in the Roman de Thèbes.^[2]
• c. 1190 – Used in the French sermons of Saint Bernard.^[7][4]
• 1562 – The adjective plantaire is borrowed from Medieval Latin.^[4]
• 1845 – Bescherelle records the sense “underside of an animal's foot”.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. The sole of the foot, the underside of the human foot between the heel and the toes, mostly in plante du pied.^[8][7][9]
2. (zoology) The underside of the foot, without the toes, in plantigrade animals and in birds.^[7]
3. (dated) The underside of the foot as a whole: user ses plantes, to walk for too long.^[8][2]

plante² plant

Etymology tree of plante²

inherited borrowed derived

Latin planta

Italian pianta

French plante

Romanian plântă

From the same root · plante²

English plant ← planta

Latin plantō ← planta

Latin supplantō ← planta

Pronunciation

• /plɑ̃t/^[1]

Forms

plante f (plural plantes)^[1]

Etymology

The word for a plant is borrowed from Medieval Latin planta, the scholastic Latin term to which Albert the Great gave the general sense “living thing of the plant kingdom”.^[2][4][10] In Classical Latin planta meant only a cutting or young shoot to be planted; the Romans had no word for the plant kingdom as a whole, only herba (“herb, grass”) and arbor (“tree”).^[2][4][10] The TLFi and Rey make the Latin noun a deverbal of plantō (“to plant”); the Grand Robert gives this as Meillet's view and notes that others derive the verb from the noun.^[2][4][5] Wiktionary allows that the French word may also come partly from the verb planter, and calls it a doublet of clan.^[1]

Old French had a noun plante (“vine newly planted”) (1273), which the TLFi, Bloch and Wartburg and the GLLF take as a deverbal of the verb rather than as the Latin word;^{[2][10][7][4]} Rey keeps it apart from the borrowed term.^{[2][10][7][4]} The Latin word passed into the Germanic and Celtic languages as well.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Rey dates the borrowing to 1511, in Jean Lemaire de Belges, where the word is set against arbre “tree”.^[4][8] The TLFi's first record of the sense “member of the plant kingdom” is from 1532, in G. Du Wes's grammar, followed by Gesner's catalogue of plants in 1542.^[2][5][10]

Semantic evolution

Brought in by the terminology of botany, the word spread into everyday use, where it mostly names a small plant that is not woody, as opposed to a tree; this use is recorded in La Fontaine in 1668.^[2][4][11] It also came to stand for a medicinal plant (1718), competing with herbe and simple.^[4] Littré also records the sense “young vine”.^[6]

Its figurative use for a person seen in his growth and vigour (Bossuet, 1685) seems to have mixed with the Old French deverbal plante “shoot”, which about 1660 was applied to a young man or girl being brought up.^[4][2] Modern belle plante “fine-looking girl or woman”, of regional origin (Dauphiné, Vaud), is felt as a figure of the plant, as is plante de serre for a delicate, overprotected person.^[4][2]

Timeline

• 1511 – Jean Lemaire de Belges uses the word, setting it against arbre.^[4]
• 1532 – G. Du Wes uses it for any member of the plant kingdom.^[2]
• 1542 – It appears in Gesner's catalogue of plants.^[2][5][10]
• 1668 – La Fontaine uses it for a non-woody plant, as opposed to a tree.^[2][11]
• 1685 – Bossuet uses it figuratively of a person.^[2][4]
• 1700 – Plantule is borrowed from Late Latin.^[4]
• 1718 – It is used for a medicinal plant.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A plant, any living thing of the plant kingdom.^[8][2]
2. A plant of small size that is not woody, as opposed to a tree.^[2][9]
3. A plant species as a whole.^[9]
4. A pot plant sold by a florist, as opposed to cut flowers;^[9] plante verte, a house plant.^[9]
5. (familiar) Belle plante: a fine-looking girl or woman.^[9][4]
6. (figurative) Plante de serre: a delicate, overprotected person.^[2][4]