rhum

Forms

rhum m (plural rhums)^[1] First written rum (1688), then rome (1723) and rhum (1768).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from English rum, recorded in English from 1654.^[5][2][6][1] The origin of the English word is obscure: it may be short for rumbullion or rumbustion, names for the same drink found a little earlier (1651 and 1652).^[2][5] In the modern Devon dialect the longer word means “uproar, brawl”, and Bloch and Wartburg explain the name as a dialect word for a great tumult that the colonists of Barbados applied to a strong drink that often led to fights; the TLFi and the DHLF consider this link unproven.^[6][2][5]

The English word also gave German Rum, Dutch rum, Spanish ron and Russian ром (rom).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found, as rum, in 1688 in L'Amérique angloise, an anonymous French translation of a work by Richard Blome published in 1687, naming the sugar-cane spirit.^[2][5][6]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its single meaning, a spirit distilled from sugar cane or molasses.^[2] The spelling with ⟨h⟩ became established in the 18th century, and the word and its derivatives are pronounced like rom.^[2][3] Littré still thought rum the better spelling, since it was that of the English, who had brought the product to France.^[7]

Its use in cooking gave phrases such as baba au rhum and grog au rhum;^[2][4] la route du rhum refers to the rum trade between the West Indian islands and Europe.^[2][4] The derivative rhumerie meant a sugar-works shed where molasses was fermented (1802) and, in the 20th century, a bar serving rum (1949).^[5]

Timeline

• 1654 – English rum is recorded.^[2][6]
• 1688 – Rum appears in the French translation of Blome's L'Amérique angloise.^[5][2]
• 1723 – Written rome.^[2][3]
• 1768 – The spelling rhum appears.^[2][3]
• 1802 – Rhumerie names the workshop where molasses is fermented.^[5]
• 1949 – Rhumerie is used for a bar serving rum.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Rum, a spirit made by fermenting and distilling sugar-cane juice or molasses: rhum blanc, rhum agricole, baba au rhum.^[4][8][9]

Word family

• rhumerie

Related words

• English rum

Usage notes

Rhum is pronounced /ʁɔm/ and is a homophone of rom.^[2][4]

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 m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
6. ^ a b c d 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. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)