pois

Forms

pois m (invariable)^[1] Old French peis, later pois.^[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French pois, earlier peis, inherited from Latin pīsum (“pea”).^[3][4][5][6] Rey notes that the Latin word, found in Varro, is much older than its first record, as the surname Piso shows, and that it was taken either from Ancient Greek πίσον (píson) or from the language the Greek word came from.^[5] Wiktionary gives πίσος (písos) as well.^[1] Littré, in the 19th century, derived it from the Latin verb pīnsō (“to pound”), because peas were eaten mashed.^[7]

Cognate with Tuscan peso and Old Occitan pes.^[8] In the south of France Old Occitan used cezer, from Latin cicer, for the pulse.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its earliest records, about 1160, use it for something of no value: un peis pesant in Eneas and ne … vaillant un pois in Wace's Roman de Rou.^[3][5] In 1197 Hélinant's Vers de la mort speaks of the pea as plain food: Mieuz aim mes pois et ma poree (“I prefer my peas and my leek soup”).^[3]

Semantic evolution

Cooking names come early, among them pois au lart (about 1200); pea soup is still a traditional dish in Quebec.^[3][5] From the 16th century qualified names distinguish kinds of pea: pois chiche (1538, pois cices), pois gris (1552), petits pois (1600, Olivier de Serres), pois verts (1611), pois goulus (1694) and pois cassés (1869).^[3][5] Petit pois became so common that des pois alone now usually means garden peas.^[5] The word has also named the plant itself since 1549.^[3][5]

Several figurative phrases are now out of use: avaleur de pois gris “glutton” (Rabelais, 1552), manger des pois chauds “not know what to answer” (1679, Mme de Sévigné), souffler les pois of a sleeper (1690) and rendre un pois pour une fève (1718).^[3][5] La fleur des pois, the pick of elegant people, is found before 1741 in Saint-Simon.^[3][5] From the round shape came the pois d'orange of old medicine (1811) and the dot on a fabric (1833, Balzac), with à pois from 1837.^[3][5][9]

Timeline

• c. 1160 – Peis in Eneas, of something worthless.^[3]
• 1197 – Hélinant uses it for peas as food.^[3]
• 1538 – Pois cices (chickpeas) in Estienne.^[3]
• 1549 – First use for the plant.^[3]
• 1600 – Petits pois in Olivier de Serres.^[3][5]
• 1679 – Manger des pois chauds in a letter of Mme de Sévigné.^[3]
• 1791 – Pois de senteur (sweet pea) in Valmont de Bomare.^[10]
• 1833 – Balzac uses it for a dot on printed cotton.^[3]
• 1869 – Pois cassés is recorded by Littré.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. The pea plant, a climbing legume grown for its seeds.^[2][11][1]
2. Its round seed, eaten as a vegetable: petits pois (garden peas), pois cassés (split peas).^[2][11]
3. Pois chiche: the chickpea.^[2][3]
4. Pois de senteur: the sweet pea.^[2][10]
5. A small round dot on a fabric: une cravate à pois (a polka dot tie).^[2][1]

Related words

• Latin pisum

Usage notes

In African French pois de terre or pois bambara is a legume whose pods ripen underground.^[5] Pois sounds like poids and poix.^[2]

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 Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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
4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 8, 605a
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, 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. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
10. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
11. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)