poussière
Pronunciation
- IPA: /pu.sjɛʁ/[1]
Forms
poussière f (plural poussières)[1] Old French posiere (about 1190) and possere (late 13th century); the spelling poussière dates from 1549.[2][3]
Etymology
It is inherited from Old French pousiere, derived from Old French pous (“dust”), which goes back to Vulgar Latin *pulvus, an alteration of Latin pulvis (“dust”).[4][2][1][3] That noun gave the derivative through the form pousse, common in the dialects: the inflectional ⟨s⟩ was taken as part of the stem and served as the base of derivatives, as in the eastern dialect words pousset, poussot and poussier.[4][2][5] The word was rare and probably regional before the 16th century, used in Lorraine, Hainaut, Wallonia and Franche-Comté.[4][2]
The same Latin word gave poudre, which “poussière” first rivalled and then replaced in the sense “dust” when the older word took on special senses in the 17th and 18th centuries.[2]
Earliest recorded meaning
The Sermons de saint Bernard (late 12th century) use it for dry earth reduced to fine particles: vos qui estes en la pousiere “you who are in the dust”.[4][6]
Semantic evolution
Echoing the Bible, in which man is made of earth and returns to dust, it meant the remains of the dead by the end of the 13th century.[4][2] Phrases followed: réduire en poussière (1563), mordre la poussière “to be defeated” (before 1628, Malherbe) and jeter de la poussière aux yeux (1628), which never displaced jeter de la poudre aux yeux.[4][2]
From 1574 it named any matter reduced to fine particles, as in poussière de charbon (1611); in the sciences it named pollen (1762, poussière fécondante) and, in astronomy, poussières cosmiques (1880).[4][2] Mme de Sévigné uses it for a trifle (1671); in slang it meant money (1835), and et des poussières “and a bit more” is recorded in 1938.[4]
Timeline
- c. 1190 – Posiere “dust”, in the Sermons de saint Bernard.[4][2]
- late 13th century – Possere “the remains of the dead”.[4]
- 1549 – The spelling poussière.[2][3]
- 1563 – Réduire en poussière, in Bernard Palissy.[4]
- before 1628 – Mordre la poussière, in Malherbe.[4]
- 1671 – “A trifle”, in Mme de Sévigné.[4]
- 1762 – “Pollen”, in the Académie dictionary.[4]
- 1880 – Poussières cosmiques, in Flammarion.[4]
- 1938 – Et des poussières “and a little more”.[4]
Meanings
Noun
- Dust: dry earth or other matter in very fine particles, light enough to float in the air: faire de la poussière.[7][1]
- The dust that settles indoors: faire la poussière, to dust.[7][2]
- A speck of dust: avoir une poussière dans l'œil.[1]
- Any matter reduced to fine particles: poussière de charbon, poussières cosmiques.[2][8]
- (literary) The remains of the dead.[4][2]
- Mordre la poussière: to be defeated.[4][1]
- (familiar, plural) Et des poussières: and a little more.[4][1]
Word family
- dépoussiérage
- dépoussiérer
- empoussiérer
- épousseter
- poussiéreux
Related words
- poudre
- poussier
- Latin pulvis
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ 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
- ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
- ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse