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sagittaire

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Etymology and origin of the French word sagittaire

sagittaire1 archer, Sagittarius

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1119 Philippe de Thaon, Comput
Borrowed from
Latin sagittarius
Ultimate origin
Latin sagitta
Etymology tree of sagittaire1
inherited borrowed derived
Latin sagitta
French sagette
Italian saetta
Romanian săgeată
Spanish saeta
Latin sagittārius
English Sagittarius
French sagittaire
From the same root · sagittaire1
Latin sagittō ← sagitta
Italian saettare ← saetta
Romanian săgetar ← săgeată

Pronunciation

  • /sa.ʒi.tɛʁ/[1]

Forms

sagittaire m (plural sagittaires)[1]

Etymology

The word for the archer and the sign of the zodiac is borrowed from Latin sagittārius (“archer, arrow-maker, the constellation Sagittarius”), which had both the astronomical sense and the sense “archer” in classical times.[2][3][4] It is derived from sagitta (“arrow”), also the source of sagette.[2][3] Rey reports that the Latin noun may be a loan from a non-Indo-European language, its ending ⟨-itta⟩ perhaps Etruscan, as the bow and arrow were not Roman national weapons.[3]

Old French also had the more popular saietaire, sajetaire, meaning “archer” and “centaur”.[2][3] Cognate with Occitan sagittari, Spanish sagitario and Italian sagittario.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears about 1119 in Philippe de Thaon's Comput, as the name of a sign of the zodiac.[2][6][3]

Semantic evolution

The zodiacal sign is drawn as a centaur holding a drawn bow, and about 1200 sajetaire meant a centaur.[3] In the 13th century Brunetto Latini's Trésor has the sun running through Libra, Scorpion and Sagitaire.[5]

The sense “archer” was taken again from Latin in the late 15th century, first figuratively in Pierre Michault, who called God le divin sagittaire.[2][3][6] As a term of antiquity it has named an auxiliary archer in the Roman army since 1655 (Borel).[3][6] In literary use it is sometimes a name of Cupid with his bow.[2] In the mid-20th century astrology began to use it of a person born under the sign.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1119 – Philippe de Thaon names the sign of the zodiac.[2][6]
  • c. 1200 – Sajetaire means a centaur.[3]
  • After 1461 – Pierre Michault uses it figuratively of God as an archer.[2]
  • 1655 – Borel records it for a Roman auxiliary archer.[6][3]
  • Mid-20th century – Used of a person born under the sign.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (astronomy, usually capitalised) Sagittarius, a zodiacal constellation of the southern sky, pictured as a centaur with a bow.[7][2]
  2. (astrology) The ninth sign of the zodiac, from about 22 November to 20 December.[7][6]
  3. (astrology) A person born under this sign: ma sœur est Sagittaire.[7][6]
  4. (antiquity) An auxiliary archer in the Roman army.[2][6]
  5. (literary) An archer.[2][5]

sagittaire2 arrowhead plant

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1776 Valmont de Bomare
Borrowed from
Latin sagittaria
Ultimate origin
Latin sagitta

Pronunciation

  • /sa.ʒi.tɛʁ/[1]

Forms

sagittaire f (plural sagittaires)[8][7]

Etymology

The word for the water plant is borrowed from New Latin sagittāria, the botanists' Latin name created by Linnaeus, derived from sagitta (“arrow”) because of the shape of the plant's leaves.[2][4][3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Grand Robert and the GLLF date it to 1776, in Valmont de Bomare;[8][6] Rey and Bloch and Wartburg give 1780.[3][4] The TLFi has the Latin form sagittaria in Boiste in 1824 and sagittaire in Raymond in 1832.[2]

Semantic evolution

It has kept the one botanical sense, and the plant is also called by the popular names flèche d'eau and sagette.[2][7][4]

Timeline

  • 1776 – Valmont de Bomare uses the word.[6][8]
  • 1824 – Boiste records the Latin form sagittaria.[2]
  • 1832 – Raymond records sagittaire.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (botany) arrowhead, an aquatic plant with arrow-shaped leaves and white flowers, also called flèche d'eau.[7][2][6]

Usage notes

The Grand Robert and Littré number the archer and the plant as two words; the TLFi numbers them the other way round, with the plant first.[8][5][2] In the astronomical and astrological senses the word is written with a capital: le Sagittaire.[5][2]

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 p q r s 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 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 c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Sagittaire.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/sagittaire. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·