poirier

Forms

poirier m (plural poiriers)^[1] Old French perier^[2][3] Middle French poirrier (1409), then poirier (15th century, 1530 in Palsgrave).^[2][4][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French poire + -ier, first as Old French perier and later remade after the fruit name.^[2][4][3][5] Wiktionary instead takes the Old French word from Vulgar Latin *pirārius (compare Medieval Latin pirarius), from Latin pirus (“pear tree”), later reanalysed as a derivative of the fruit name,^[1] and Littré too starts from Late Latin pirarius.^[6]

The fruit name poire continues Latin pira, the neuter plural of pirum (“pear”) taken as a feminine noun.^[5] Compare Walloon peri.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears as perier in Floire et Blancheflor, which the TLFi dates to 1150 and the GLLF to about 1170, for the pear tree.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Like most names of trees used in cabinet-making, perier was used for the wood: in 1260 Étienne Boileau's Livre des métiers lists pear wood among the woods for wine barrels.^[2][7][6] Furniture of pear wood is recorded from 1516.^[2]

By likeness of shape, the phrase faire le perier (about 1200) gave modern faire le poirier, to stand upside down on one's head.^[2][7][3] In African French a large medicinal tree is called poirier du Cayor.^[7]

Timeline

• 1150 – Perier in Floire et Blancheflor.^[2]
• c. 1200 – Faire lo perier in the Poème moral.^[2][3]
• 1260 – Étienne Boileau mentions pear wood for barrels.^[2][7]
• 1409 – The form poirrier is recorded.^[2][4]
• 1516 – Boys de perier is named for furniture.^[2]
• 1530 – Palsgrave writes poirier.^[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A pear tree, a fruit tree of the rose family.^[8][2]
2. Pear wood, pinkish and easily polished, used in cabinetmaking.^[8][3][2]
3. Faire le poirier: to do a headstand.^[8][3][1]

Related words

• poire
• poiré
• Latin pirum

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert