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sceau

Etymology and origin of the French word sceau

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland
Inherited from
Latin *sigellum via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (signum)

Pronunciation

Forms

sceau m (plural sceaux)[1] Old French seel, sael, seax, scel (1256); the ⟨c⟩, not etymological, was added to distinguish it from seau, and sceau prevailed from the 15th century.[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French seel, inherited from Vulgar Latin *sigellum, an alteration of classical Latin sigillum (“statuette; impression of a seal; seal”),[4][2][3][5] a diminutive of signum (“mark, sign”).[2][6] English seal is from Old French “seel”.[1]

Cognate with Italian suggello, Old Occitan sael, Catalan segell and Spanish sello.[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has Freint le seel, getet en ad la cire “he breaks the seal and throws away the wax”, the impression on a letter.[4][8]

Semantic evolution

About 1175 it named the matrix itself, as when Thomas Becket resigned the Great Seal (rendre le sëel);[4] garde des sceaux is attested in 1636 (earlier garde du seaul, 1297), and the plural sceaux named the office of chancellor.[4][2] It also meant the right of sealing (late 14th century), a seal or mark of origin on goods (1530), and the place where documents are sealed (1685).[4][2]

Figuratively sceau was what confirms or makes inviolable (late 12th century), as in sous le sceau de la confession (Rabelais, 1546) and sous le sceau du secret (1691), and a distinctive mark (Calvin, 1541).[4][2] Plants with seal-like marks are named sceau-de-Salomon (1549) and sceau de Notre-Dame (1538).[2][3]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Seel in the Chanson de Roland.[4]
  • c. 1175 – The matrix, in Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence.[4]
  • 1256 – The spelling scel.[4]
  • 1297 – Garde du seaul.[4]
  • 1546 – Soubs le sceau de confession in Rabelais.[4]
  • 1549 – Sceau de Salomon.[3]
  • 1636 – Garde des seaus de France.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A seal: an official stamp engraved with arms or a device; its impression in wax or lead: apposer son sceau.[9][10]
  2. Garde des Sceaux: in France, the Minister of Justice.[9][4]
  3. (literary) A mark, stamp: le sceau du génie.[10][4]
  4. Sous le sceau du secret: under the seal of secrecy.[2][4]
  5. Sceau-de-Salomon: Solomon's seal (a plant).[2][3]

Word family

  • sceller
  • scellé
  • contre-sceau
  • signe
  • sigillaire
  • English seal

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 594a
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Sceau.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/sceau. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·