souper

Forms

souper m (plural soupers)^[1] Old French sopar (about 980), super (about 1140), soper;^[2][3][4] souper from about 1155.^[2][3][4] The participles soupée (feminine, 1479) and soupé (1630) were also used as nouns until the 19th century.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French soper, formed from Old French sope (“slice of bread soaked in broth”) + -er: the verb first meant to take the soup, then to take the evening meal.^[2][5][6][1] The noun is the infinitive used as a noun.^[2][3][4]

sope (modern soupe) comes from Late Latin suppa, recorded about 500 in Oribasius, from Proto-West Germanic *suppa (“slice of bread over which broth is poured”), of the family of Dutch sopen (“to dip”) and the English word sop.^[2][5][7] Cognate with Old Occitan sopar (“to have supper”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Passion of the late 10th century has both the verb, in the past form sopet “he took his evening meal”, and the noun sopar “evening meal”.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Until the classical period souper was the evening meal and the verb meant to eat it.^[4][5] In the 19th century Paris, and then the towns, moved dîner to the evening, and souper was kept for a meal taken late at night, after the theatre or during a party (1830, Stendhal).^[2][5][4] Rural France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada still keep the old sense; in Switzerland a souper canadien is an evening meal where each pays a share.^[5][4][2] In earlier French petit souper (1539) was an intimate supper among friends and grand souper (1564) a formal one, and the word also named the dishes served (1558).^[4][3]

In Old French the verb could also mean simply “to eat” (about 1200).^[4] Souper par cœur “to go without supper” is recorded in 1690.^[4] Familiar avoir soupé de quelque chose “to have had enough of something” appears in 1878, and soupé! “enough!” in 1883.^[2][4]

English supper (mid-13th century) is from the Old French noun.^[9]

Timeline

• About 980 – The Passion has sopar and sopet.^[2][4]
• About 1140 – Gaimar writes super.^[2]
• Mid-13th century – English borrows it as soper, later supper.^[9]
• 1539 – Petit souper is recorded.^[4][3]
• 1690 – Souper par cœur “to go without supper” is recorded.^[4]
• 1830 – Stendhal uses it for a late-night meal.^[2][3]
• 1878 – Avoir soupé de “to be fed up with” appears.^[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (dated, or Belgium, Switzerland, Canada) The evening meal, supper, where dîner is the midday meal.^[10][1]
2. A meal or light meal taken late at night, after a show: On a fait un souper après le concert.^[10][2]
3. The food making up the supper.^[6][4]

Verb

1. (dated, or Belgium, Switzerland, Canada) To have the evening meal, to dine.^[10][2]
2. To have a late-night supper.^[10][2]
3. (familiar) En avoir soupé: to be fed up with something.^[10][2]

Word family

• soupeur
• après-souper

Related words

• soupe
• dîner
• English supper

Usage notes

Se coucher sans souper is to go to bed without the evening meal; the older souper par cœur meant the same.^[2][6]

References

1. ^ a b c d 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 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 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 o p q Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 17, 286b
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert