profondeur

Forms

profondeur f (plural profondeurs)^[1] Old French parfondor (late 12th century, Roman d'Alexandre) and profondor (first half of the 14th century).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from French profond + -eur.^[4][1][2] It remakes the older parfondor, derived from the Old French form of the adjective, parfont.^[5][3] Bloch and Wartburg explain the adjective profond itself as a remaking, under the influence of Latin profundus, of the older form, which had been inherited from the Latin word with a change of prefix.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the first half of the 14th century Macé de la Charité's Bible speaks of profondor de tot vice, “the depth of every vice”, where it means the quality of being extreme.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

Late in the 14th century it was used for the quality of what is deep (1377) and, in Oresme, for horizontal extent at right angles to width.^[4][5] In 1538 Estienne records it as a geometrical dimension; in 1553 it began to name, by metonymy, the deep part of something, the depths.^[4][5]

Figuratively it came to mean the quality of things hard to understand (1553), great penetration of mind (Montaigne, 1580) and the hidden part of a person (1769).^[4][5] The dimension from front to back is recorded in 1690, and by analogy it has expressed the impression of three-dimensional space since 1754.^[4][5]

Timeline

• late 12th century – The Old French form parfondor appears in the Roman d'Alexandre.^[3][2]
• 1300–1350 – Profondor “extreme degree” in Macé de la Charité.^[4]
• 1377 – It means the quality of what is deep.^[5][2]
• 1538 – Estienne records the geometrical sense.^[4][3]
• 1553 – The Gérard Bible uses it for the deep part of an abyss and for what is hard to understand.^[4]
• 1580 – Montaigne uses it for depth of mind.^[4][5]
• 1690 – Furetière records the front-to-back dimension.^[4][3]
• 1754 – Condillac uses it for the impression of three-dimensional space.^[4][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. depth: the distance from the surface or opening down to the bottom: un puits de dix mètres de profondeur.^[7][8][1]
2. Les profondeurs: deep places far below the surface of the ground or the water, the abyss.^[9][8]
3. The dimension from front to back, or from the entrance to the far end: un placard de cinquante centimètres de profondeur.^[7][4][10]
4. (geometry) One of the three dimensions of a body, measured from top to bottom.^[10][4]
5. (art, optics) The impression of three-dimensional space;^[4][3] profondeur de champ, depth of field.^[4][3]
6. (figurative) Depth of thought or feeling, great penetration of mind; the hidden inner part of a person.^[4][5]

Related words

• profond
• approfondir
• fond
• Latin profundus

Usage notes

Littré also records the rarer profondesse and profondité, and the Berry form parfondeur.^[10] En profondeur “in depth” is recorded from 1962.^[3]

References

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