Etymologically
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saison

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /sɛ.zɔ̃/[1]
  • IPA: /se.zɔ̃/[1]

Forms

saison f (plural saisons)[1] Old French seison, seson;[2][1] saison from about 1175.[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French seison, inherited from Latin satiō (“sowing; sowing time; seed”), in its accusative form.[2][3][4][5] The Latin noun is derived from satum, supine of serō (“to sow, plant”), from an Indo-European root meaning “to sow”, the root of semer.[2][6] The sense passed from the sowing season, the season par excellence, to the other seasons.[4][7] Cognate with Old Occitan sazon, Spanish sazón and Portuguese sazão; the Spanish word means only “the right time”.[4][7]

Scheler doubted this origin, because Italian stagione cannot be separated from the French word; the Italian word comes from Latin statiō (“a standing still”), used in astronomy of the apparent halts of the sun in the signs of the zodiac.[7][4] The Grand Robert mentions that Latin word as another proposal.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Philippe de Thaon's Comput (1119) it means the weather: Averum bele saisun, “we shall have fine weather”.[3][6]

Semantic evolution

From the weather it came to mean an indeterminate period of time (about 1140), a sense that lasted into the 18th century, with lost phrases such as en nule saison “never” and longue saison “for a long time”.[3][2] En saison (Chrétien de Troyes, 1176) and hors de saison (1266) refer to the right or wrong moment.[3]

It named the time of year for particular farm work and the period when crops ripen (about 1160), hence fruits de saison and marchande des quatre saisons.[2][6] About 1240–60 Philippe de Novare uses it for each of the four divisions of the year.[3][6] Later senses include the season for an activity or a resort (la saison des bains), la saison des amours (1805, after Buffon's saison de l'amour, 1770) and, in sport, the season of competitions.[3][9][1] Du Bellay (1554–57) uses it for each age of life.[3] Derivatives include assaisonner (13th century), morte-saison (1382) and saisonnier (1775).[4][3]

Timeline

  • 1119 – Saisun “weather” in Philippe de Thaon.[3]
  • c. 1140 – “Period of time”, in Gaimar.[3]
  • 1176 – En leu et an seison in Chrétien de Troyes.[3]
  • c. 1260 – One of the four divisions of the year.[3]
  • 1382 – Morte-saison.[3]
  • 1554–57 – Du Bellay: an age of life.[3]
  • 1775 – Saisonnier.[4]
  • 1805 – La saison des amours in Cuvier.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A season, one of the four divisions of the year.[1][9]
  2. A period of the year marked by its climate: la belle saison, la saison des pluies.[9][1]
  3. The time of year for certain crops or farm work: fruits de saison, la saison des vendanges.[9][2]
  4. The period of activity of a resort, a trade or a sport: haute saison, la saison théâtrale.[9][1]
  5. De saison: appropriate, hors de saison: out of place, untimely.[9][3]

Word family

  • assaisonner
  • demi-saison
  • saisonnier
  • arrière-saison
  • morte-saison

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 240b
  6. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert