sauf

Pronunciation

• IPA: /sof/^[1]

Forms

sauf (feminine sauve, masculine plural saufs, feminine plural sauves)^[1] Old French salv (about 980), feminine salve (1080), salf, sauf (about 1155).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin salvus (“whole, intact; in good health”), which in Church Latin took the moral sense “saved (from evil, by the Saviour)”.^{[4][2][5][3][6]} Rey relates “salvus” to salūs (see salut) and, like solidus, to an Indo-European root also seen in Ancient Greek ὅλος (hólos, “whole”).^[2][7] The preposition developed from constructions in which the adjective stood before the noun, such as “sauve vostre grace” “saving your grace”.^[5][2]

Cognate with Italian salvo, Spanish salvo, Portuguese salvo and Old Occitan salv.^[5][7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Passion of Clermont (about 980) salv means “having eternal salvation”; the Chanson de Roland has lei salve, the law that brings salvation.^[4][2][8]

Semantic evolution

The secular sense “unharmed, intact” appears in Wace (1130–40), with sains e salfs “safe and sound” in 1155.^[4][9] The preposition first meant “without harm to” (about 1155), in polite formulas such as sauve la grace (1373), sauf votre honneur (1538) and sauf votre respect (1671).^[2] The sense “except” is found in 1247, and sauf que about 1500, sauf erreur (1835), sauf si (Montaigne, 1580) and sauf à with the infinitive (1655) followed.^[2] Sauf-conduit dates from the 12th century and sauvegarde from about 1155 (salve garde).^[5][2]

Timeline

• c. 980 – Salv, saved, Passion of Clermont.^[4]
• 1130–40 – “Intact”, Wace.^[4]
• 1155 – Sains e salfs.^[4]
• c. 1155 – The preposition, “without harm to”.^[2]
• 1247 – “Except”.^[2]
• c. 1500 – Sauf que.^[2]
• 1671 – Sauf votre respect.^[2]
• 1835 – Sauf erreur.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. safe, unharmed: sain et sauf, avoir la vie sauve, l'honneur est sauf.^[7][9][1]

Preposition

1. except, but, save: tous sauf lui, sauf que, except that.^[10][1][4]
2. Barring, unless there is: sauf erreur, sauf avis contraire, sauf si.^[4][10]
3. (dated) Sauf votre respect: with all due respect.^[7][4]
4. (literary) Sauf à with the infinitive: even if it means; while reserving the right to.^[4][10]

Word family

• sauf-conduit
• sauvegarde
• sauveté

Related words

• sauver
• salut
• Latin salvus
• English safe

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 133b
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)