requin

Forms

requin m (plural requins)^[1]

Etymology

Its origin is disputed.^[2][3][4] The explanation most often given is that it is from Norman quin (“dog”), the Norman form of chien, with the prefix re- as an intensifier;^[2][4][5] Rey adds that the same form is usual in Picard.^[3] In favour of this, chien de mer “sea dog” has named a kind of shark since the first half of the 13th century and is still used in Normandy.^[2][4] Wartburg's FEW doubted it, because the prefix also has the form ⟨ra-⟩ at Marseille and in Wallonia.^[2]

Guiraud preferred to start from a Norman form of rechigner “to bare the teeth in a grimace”, which also gave the adjective rechin (“surly”), in allusion to the shark's teeth;^[3] Old Picard rekigner (“to look glum”) shows the form without palatalization.^[3] Wiktionary traces this verb to requignier, from re- and Frankish *kīnan (“to split open”).^[1] A less convincing proposal starts from a supposed Italian *orchino, a diminutive of orca, wrongly divided as *orquin after the article.^[3][5]

The spellings requien (1578) and the later one with ⟨-em⟩ (1695) came from association with requiem, the Mass for the dead:^[2][4] Huet, reported by Ménage, explained that once the shark has seized a man nothing is left but to sing the Requiem for his soul.^[2][3] Littré still held the word to be a popular pronunciation of the Latin word,^[6] but Rey and the Petit Robert regard this as a folk etymology.^[3][7] The form rechien (1614) shows the link with the sea dog.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1539 in the Parmentiers, as the name of the fish.^[2] The GLLF and Rey date it to 1529, in requin baleine.^[8][3]

Semantic evolution

The word names a large shark, alone or in compounds such as requin baleine and requin pèlerin, later requin-marteau (1904).^[3] In the French-speaking regions where sharks are common, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, it forms further names such as requin blanc and requin tigre, and requin gris in New Caledonia.^[3]

From the shark's greed and strength the word was applied, from 1790, to a ruthless and grasping businessman.^[2][3] The rare noun requinisme “greed” was formed from this sense in the 20th century.^[3]

Timeline

• 1529 – Requin baleine is recorded.^[8][3]
• 1539 – First record of requin, in the Parmentiers.^[2]
• 1578 – Léry spells it requien.^[2]
• 1614 – Yves d'Évreux writes rechien.^[2]
• 1695 – The spelling requiem appears.^[2]
• 1750 – Ménage reports Huet's “requiem” explanation.^[2]
• 1790 – First figurative use for a greedy person.^[2]
• 1904 – Requin-marteau “hammerhead shark” is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A shark, a large, powerful and voracious sea fish with a long body and a mouth on the underside of the head.^[2][7][9]
2. (figurative) A ruthless, greedy person, especially in business: un requin de l'immobilier.^[9][3][1]

Word family

• requin-marteau

Related words

• chien
• squale

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 o p 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 j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)