sec

Pronunciation

• IPA: /sɛk/^[1]
• IPA: /sɛkʲ/^[1]

Forms

sec (feminine sèche, masculine plural secs, feminine plural sèches)^[1] Old French sec, feminine seche, sèche in the Académie from 1740.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French sec, inherited from Latin siccus (“dry; sober; cold, unemotional”),^[2][3][4][5] which Rey relates to Ancient Greek ἰσχνός (iskhnós, “dry, lean”) and to the root of Sanskrit सिञ्चति (siñcáti, “he pours”).^[3]

Cognate with Italian secco, Old Occitan sec, Spanish seco and Portuguese seco.^[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Valenciennes Fragment (about 980) has E cilg eedre fu seche, and the ivy withered: of a plant that has lost its moisture.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

In the early 12th century it was what contains no water (Saint Brendan), and about 1150 dry weather (Thèbes); saison sèche is in Froissart.^[2][3] Food dried for keeping is sec from 1273 (ognons sais), whence fruits secs (1690).^[2] By extension it describes what lacks its usual liquid or companion: pierre sèche “without mortar” (1150–1170), toux sèche (about 1210), pain sec (1342), argent sec “ready money” (1260) and payer tout sec (Beaumanoir).^[2][6] A vin sec (Jean Bodel, 1200) is not sweet, and a lean person is sec (Eneas, about 1160, sec comme un hareng, 1845).^[2][3]

Figuratively a cœur sec lacks tenderness (about 1225), and Brunetto Latini (about 1265) warns that speech should not be maigre ne sec.^[2][6] À sec “out of the water” (Wace, 1155) gave mettre à sec and être à sec “broke” (1536), and in school slang rester sec is to be unable to answer (1866).^[2][3] As an adverb sec means “sharply” (parler sec, Commynes) and boire sec “to drink hard” (1640).^[2]

Timeline

• c. 980 – Seche in the Valenciennes Fragment.^[2]
• c. 1120 – Sécheresse.^[4]
• c. 1150 – Dry weather.^[2]
• 1155 – A sec “out of the water”, in Wace.^[2]
• c. 1160 – “Lean”, of a person.^[2]
• 1200 – Vin sec in Jean Bodel.^[2]
• 1342 – Pain sec.^[2]
• 1536 – Mettre qqn à sec.^[2]
• 1640 – Boire sec.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Dry: bois sec, temps sec, avoir la gorge sèche.^[7][1]
2. Dried: fruits secs, raisins secs.^[2][1]
3. Lean, thin: un grand sec.^[1][2]
4. Dry (of wine), not sweet.^[1][2]
5. Curt, sharp; unfeeling: un ton sec, un cœur sec.^[1][2]
6. Plain, unaccompanied: pain sec, un whisky sec, pierre sèche.^[2][8]
7. Sharp, short: un coup sec, un bruit sec.^[2][9]

Noun

1. Au sec: in a dry place, à sec: dried up, (familiar) broke.^[9][3]

Adverb

1. Sharply, briskly: démarrer sec, boire sec, aussi sec: straight away.^[9][2]

Word family

• sécheresse
• sécher
• sécheresse
• séchoir
• dessécher

Related words

• Latin siccus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y 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
3. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c 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, 584a
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)