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sécheresse

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Etymology and origin of the French word sécheresse

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1120 Cambridge Psalter More words from the 12th century
Ultimate origin
Latin siccus

Pronunciation

  • /seʃ.ʁɛs/[1]
  • /sɛʃ.ʁɛs/[1]

Forms

sécheresse f (plural sécheresses)[1] Old French secherece, secheresce (early 13th century); the spelling with ⟨ss⟩ dates from the 14th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French sèche + -eresse, from the feminine of sec “dry”.[4] The Grand Robert derives it from sécher.[5] Wiktionary instead traces Old French secherece to a Vulgar Latin *siccāricia, from Latin siccus (“dry”).[1] Bloch and Wartburg compare Old Occitan secaressa.[6]

Dialect forms include Walloon segress and Norman séqueresse.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in the first half of the 12th century, in the Cambridge Psalter, meaning “the state of being dry”.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

From the concrete sense “lack of moisture” the word came to be used of the air (about 1175) and of an absence of rain (1176, Chrétien de Troyes).[3][4] In 1195 it also meant “lack of something”.[3] Used absolutely, it names dry weather, a drought (about 1354).[3][2]

From the 17th century it took abstract senses: cold, curt behaviour (about 1650), dryness of mind (1659), lack of money (1668), lack of feeling (1680) and, among mystics, lack of fervour (1690); the senses “dryness of mind” and “lack of money” have disappeared.[3][4] In the arts it is used from 1667 of a work without softness, and since 1690 of a literary work without charm.[3][4]

Timeline

  • c. 1120 – Secherece appears in the Cambridge Psalter.[4][2][6]
  • 1176 – Chrétien de Troyes uses it for an absence of rain in Cligès.[4]
  • c. 1354 – The Modus uses it absolutely for dry weather.[2][3]
  • 14th century – The spelling with two s appears.[3][2]
  • 1659 – Molière uses it for dryness of mind.[4]
  • 1667 – It is applied to painting lacking softness.[4]
  • 1680 – Madame de Sévigné uses it of a person lacking feeling.[4]
  • 1690 – Furetière records the mystical sense “lack of fervour”.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. dryness, the state of what lacks moisture: la sécheresse de l'air.[8][4][9]
  2. Dry weather, a drought.[8][7][1]
  3. Lack of fullness or softness in lines or a drawing.[8]
  4. (figurative) Coldness, curtness, lack of feeling: sécheresse de cœur.[8][4]

References

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

“Sécheresse.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/s%C3%A9cheresse. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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