soufre

Forms

soufre m (plural soufres)^[1] Old French sulfre (about 1120), suffre (about 1138), soffre (about 1150), refashioned as soufre before 1250.^[2][3] Middle French soulfre, soulphre (1549, still in the 17th century) and souphre (1622).^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French sulfre, inherited from Latin sulphur, a Hellenized spelling of sulpur, probably a dialect word with no clear etymology.^{[3][2][4][5][6]} The older form gave the Old French soupre of the Jewish glosses (late 11th century), Old Lyonnais sopre and Old Occitan solpre, and lives on in dialects of the French Alps and the Massif Central.^[3][2][4]

Cognate with Italian zolfo, Catalan sofre, Spanish azufre and Portuguese enxofre.^[2][4][7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Cambridge Psalter (first half of the 12th century) has sulfre for the yellow substance that gives off a suffocating smell when it burns.^[3][9]

Semantic evolution

In the old chemistry sulphur was one of the three active principles, and Lavoisier recognised it as an element at the end of the 18th century.^[2][10] From the 16th century it formed names in chemistry and pharmacy, such as fleur de soufre and lait de soufre (1690) and foie de soufre (1762); chemise de soufre (1694) was the garment of those condemned to the stake.^[2][3]

Since the 18th century it has also named a pale yellow colour (1742) and, by metonymy, a cast of a medal made in sulphur (1782).^[2][3] The link between sulphur and the devil gives odeur de soufre (1826, Vigny) and sentir le soufre, of writings or remarks that seem unorthodox or diabolical.^[2][9]

Timeline

• c. 1120 – Sulfre appears in the Cambridge Psalter.^[3][9][2]
• c. 1150 – Soffre in the Charroi de Nîmes.^[3]
• 1358 – Soufre vif “native sulphur” is recorded.^[9][3]
• 1690 – Furetière records fleur de soufre and lait de soufre.^[3][2]
• 1742 – Used as the name of a yellow colour.^[3][2]
• 1762 – Foie de soufre is in the Académie's dictionary.^[3]
• 1782 – Madame de Genlis uses it for a sulphur cast.^[3][9]
• 1826 – Vigny writes of an odeur de soufre.^[2][9]

Meanings

Noun

1. Sulphur, the yellow chemical element (symbol S, atomic number 16), which burns with a blue flame giving off suffocating fumes.^[3][10][1]
2. (historical) In the old chemistry, one of the three active principles.^[10][2]
3. Sentir le soufre: to seem heretical or inspired by the devil.^[10][2]
4. A pale yellow colour, jaune soufre.^[3][11]
5. A cast of a medal taken in sulphur.^[3][2]

Word family

• soufrer
• soufrière
• soufrage
• soufreux

Related words

• Latin sulfur

References

1. ^ a b c 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 12, 420b
7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 8443
9. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF