Etymologically
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sauf

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Pronunciation

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

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)