siffler

Forms

siffler^[1] Old French sifler, cifler, and in the west and east sibler.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French sifler, inherited from Late Latin sīfilō (“to whistle”), a variant, recorded from the 4th century, of classical sībilō (“to whistle, to hiss at”).^{[2][4][5][6][7]} The TLFi calls the form with ⟨f⟩ an Osco-Umbrian doublet: according to Nonius, the classical form was used by the educated classes and the other by the common people, under the influence of rural speech.^[2] Bloch and Wartburg suggest that ⟨f⟩ took the place of ⟨b⟩ because it better evokes the sound of whistling.^[6] The Latin verb comes from sībilus (“whistle, hissing”), a word of expressive formation.^[4][8] The modern spelling with ⟨ff⟩ owes something to souffler.^[1]

The classical form is continued by western French and Franco-Provençal sibler and by Old Occitan siblar, while subler and Old Occitan siular point to a popular Vulgar Latin *subilō.^[4][2] Italian zufolare continues another popular form, *sufilō.^[6][1] Cognate with Spanish silbar, chiflar and Catalan xiular.^[6][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Wace's Life of St Margaret (1130–1140) the dragon sifla, “hissed” in anger: Corocha soi et si sifla.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The French verb kept the Latin sense “to make a shrill sound”, with the lips (about 1170, Chrétien de Troyes) or with an instrument.^[4][2] By analogy it was used of angry animals (1130), the shrill noise of the wind and of arrows (1306) and the call of some birds (about 1530).^[4][2] Used transitively, it meant “to call by whistling”, a dog for instance (about 1387, Gaston Phébus), whence n'avoir qu'à siffler “to have only to make one's wishes known” (1694).^[4][2]

The sense “to mock” (13th century) may come from the regional variant chifler “to joke” (12th century); in this sense siffler was replaced by persifler.^[4][2] From 1549 it meant “to hiss, to boo” a performer, and later a play.^[4][2] It has meant “to drink” since the 15th century, transitively from 1718, and also “to squander on drink”.^[4][2][10] Siffler an air (1547) is to whistle a tune, and in classical French siffler un oiseau was to teach a bird a tune by whistling it to it (1658).^[4][2]

The verb also came to mean “to sound a whistle” as a signal: a locomotive whistles, siffler au disque in railway language became slang for “to ask for something” (1879), and a referee siffle une faute (1900).^[4][2]

Timeline

• 1130–1140 – Sifler of a hissing dragon in Wace's Life of St Margaret.^[2]
• c. 1170 – Of a person whistling, in Chrétien de Troyes' Erec.^[2][4]
• 1306 – Of crossbow bolts whistling through the air.^[2][4]
• 1387–1391 – Siffler pour les chienz in Gaston Phébus' book of hunting.^[2]
• 1547 – Siffler une chanson “to whistle a song”.^[2][4]
• 1549 – “To boo” a person, in Estienne.^[2][4]
• 1640 – Siffler la rostie “to drink heavily”, in Oudin.^[2]
• 1694 – N'avoir qu'à siffler.^[4]
• 1718 – Transitive “to drink”, in Le Roux.^[2][10]
• 1879 – Slang siffler au disque “to ask for something”.^[4]
• 1900 – A referee siffle une faute.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) To whistle, with the lips or with a whistle: Le berger siffle en marchant.^[11][1][2]
2. (intransitive, of animals) To hiss, as a snake does, or to whistle, as a bird does.^[11][1][2]
3. (intransitive) To make a shrill sound, as the wind, a bullet or a locomotive does.^[11][2][4]
4. (transitive) To whistle for, to call by whistling: siffler son chien.^[1][2]
5. (transitive) To whistle (a tune).^[4][2]
6. (transitive) To boo or hiss at (a performer or a show) to show disapproval.^[1][4]
7. (transitive, sports) To signal by blowing a whistle: siffler une faute.^[4]
8. (transitive, familiar) To knock back (a drink).^[1][10][2]

Word family

• sifflement
• sifflet
• siffleur
• sifflant
• persifler

Related words

• sibilant
• Latin sībilō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 z 27 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. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 566b
8. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
11. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert