scion

Forms

scion m (plural scions)^[1] Old French cion (early 13th century), Middle French syon (late 14th century) and sion; the spelling scion dates from the 16th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French cion.^[1][2] Wartburg derives this Old French word, which belongs to northern France (Picard chion), as from Frankish *kīþ (“offshoot”) with the diminutive suffix -on, as in rejeton;^[5][2][6] the TLFi likewise sees a diminutive of an unattested word from Old Low Franconian, and compares Old High German kīdi and Middle High German kīde.^[4] Wiktionary takes the Frankish word back to Proto-Germanic *kīþą.^[1] P. Guiraud doubts the Frankish origin and starts from a Latin base ci-, from Latin cieō (“to set in motion, push out”), replaced in rustic speech by citō “to produce, sprout”; given the word's northern area, he thinks of a crossing with the Germanic root.^[2][7] The Grand Robert finds Wartburg's explanation unlikely, while the Petit Robert and Picoche keep it.^[7][8][9]

The ⟨sc⟩ is a false etymological or analogical spelling of the 16th century,^[2] probably under the influence of scier (“to saw”).^[9][1] Diez, followed by Littré, derived the word from Latin sectiō (“a cutting”), though Littré noted that the Picard form should then have been ⟨soyon⟩;^[10] the OED rejects a link with the verb for sawing on formal grounds.^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, about 1202 in the Roman de Renart, is figurative: cïon “offspring”, of a person.^[4] The GLLF dates the figurative use for a person of good nature to Raoul de Houdenc in the early 13th century, and Littré quotes the Meraugis: Ce fut le plus gentil cion Où Diex meïst onques nature.^[3][10]

Semantic evolution

The botanical sense, a young, tender and flexible shoot of the year, is found about 1250.^[4] By analogy soyon named each of the pieces of a fishing rod in 1360.^[4][2] A proverb of the 15th century runs de bonne souche bon syon.^[10]

In arboriculture the word came to mean a shoot set in the ground (Nicot, 1606) and a young branch meant for grafting (Furetière, 1701), and later a young tree grafted at the foot.^[4][2][8] After 1650 it also meant a switch for beating someone.^[2][10] Since 1904 it has named the fine top section of a fishing rod.^[4][2]

English borrowed the Old French word about 1300 as sioun, a shoot or twig for grafting; its sense “heir, descendant” dates from the mid-14th century.^[11]

Timeline

• c. 1202 – Cïon “offspring” in the Roman de Renart.^[4]
• c. 1250 – First record of the sense “young shoot”.^[4]
• c. 1300 – English borrows it as sioun.^[11]
• 1360 – Soyon for a section of a fishing rod, at Reims.^[4][2]
• late 14th century – The form syon.^[3][2]
• 16th century – The spelling with ⟨sc⟩ appears.^[2][7]
• 1606 – Nicot records sion, a shoot planted in the ground.^[4]
• 1701 – Furetière uses it for a branch meant for grafting.^[4]
• 1878 – A slang use for “knife”.^[2]
• 1904 – The fine top section of a fishing rod.^[4][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (botany) A young, straight and flexible branch; a shoot of the year: un scion de saule.^[8][12][13]
2. (arboriculture) A young graft, a young tree grafted at the foot, or a branch meant for grafting.^[8][12][4]
3. (fishing) The very fine top section of a fishing rod.^[8][13][12]
4. (dated) A switch for beating someone.^[10][14]

Related words

• English scion

Usage notes

In slang scion meant “knife” (1878), possibly in connection with scier; the verb scionner is recorded from 1841.^[2] The spelling scions is also a form of the verb scier.^[13]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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. ^ 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. 16, 327b
7. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
10. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
11. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
12. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
13. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
14. ^ Wiktionnaire (French Wiktionary), fr.wiktionary.org