Etymologically
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sec

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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

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)