prince

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pʁɛ̃s/^[1]

Forms

prince m (plural princes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin prīnceps (“first; chief; emperor”), formed from prīmus (“first”) and capiō (“to take”): “he who takes the first place”.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} “Prīnceps senātūs” was the first member of the Senate, and, from Augustus, who held that title and gathered all power in his hands, “prīnceps” meant the emperor.^[2][3] Wiktionary calls the French word a semi-learned borrowing.^[1]

Compare Old Occitan princep, Spanish príncipe and Italian principe.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Oxford Psalter (first half of the 12th century) uses it for one who holds sovereignty, and for the leading person of a group.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It applied first to sovereigns in the feudal order, then to the ruler in general (Christine de Pisan, 1413), as in parole de prince (1407), jeu de prince (1566) and le fait du prince (1869), arbitrary power.^[2][3] A member of a ruling family is a prince about 1120: prince du sang (1578), prince royal (1524), prince impérial (1802), prince de Galles (about 1360).^[3][6] In the French nobility it is the highest title.^[3][9]

The Devil is prince de mort (1121–34), prince de ce monde (1553) and prince des ténèbres (1690); the Jewish high priest is prince des prêtres (mid-13th century).^[2] En prince “magnificently” is in Robert Estienne (1538), and être bon prince “to be generous” in Dancourt (1690); the prince des poètes is the first of them.^[2][6][9]

Timeline

• c. 1120 – A sovereign, Oxford Psalter.^[2]
• 1121–34 – Prince de mort, the Devil.^[2]
• 1320 – Princesse.^[4]
• c. 1360 – Prince de Galles.^[6]
• 1413 – The ruler, Christine de Pisan.^[2]
• 1578 – Prince du sang.^[2]
• 1690 – Être bon prince.^[6]
• 1802 – Prince impérial.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A prince, a sovereign ruler: le Prince of Machiavelli, le fait du prince, an arbitrary act of authority.^[10][3]
2. A member of a royal family: prince héritier, prince du sang, le prince de Galles.^[9][3]
3. In France, the highest title of nobility.^[9]
4. (figurative) The first, the greatest: le prince des poètes, les princes de l'Église, the cardinals and bishops.^[9][2]
5. Être bon prince: to be generous, easy-going, vivre comme un prince.^[3][6]

Word family

• princesse
• princier
• principauté

Related words

• principal
• principe
• premier
• Latin prīnceps

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 389b
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
10. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert