Etymologically
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sourire

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /su.ʁiʁ/[1]

Forms

sourire[1] Old French sozrire (about 1130), sorrire and surrire (12th century), remade as sourire with the prefix sous- (about 1175); Middle French soubrire.[2][3][4][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French sorrire, inherited from Vulgar Latin *subrīdere, with a short ⟨e⟩, an altered form of classical subrīdeō (“to smile”), formed from sub- (“under”), marking a lessened action, and rīdeō (“to laugh”) (see rire).[4][2][5][6]

Cognate with Italian sorridere, Spanish sonreír and Portuguese sorrir.[5][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1130–1140, in the Voyage de Charlemagne: l'uns a l'altre surrist “they smiled at each other”.[4][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 13th century sourire à quelqu'un meant to show affection, sympathy or courtesy by a smile.[2] The Old French se sourire de “to mock” (about 1175) died out, but the sense returned in sourire “to be ironic” (1636), sourire de “to be amused by” (before 1778) and faire sourire (1843).[2][4] About 1390 it was said of water that ripples.[2]

From 1675 it is said of the face, the mouth and the eyes; with a thing as subject it means “to be bright, radiant” (before 1613, literary) and sourire à quelqu'un “to be favourable to” (1745: l'avenir lui sourit).[4][2] The infinitive used as a noun, un sourire, is found in the 12th century, written sourir in 1454; until the 19th century French also said un souris.[3][5]

Timeline

  • c. 1130 – Sozrire.[3][2]
  • c. 1140 – Surrist in the Voyage de Charlemagne.[4]
  • c. 1175 – The form sourire; the noun sourire.[2][3]
  • 1636 – “To mock gently”, in Mairet.[4]
  • 1742 – Reciprocal se sourire, in Crébillon fils.[4]
  • 1745 – L'avenir lui sourit.[4]
  • 1871 – Souriant.[5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To smile: sourire à quelqu'un.[8]
  2. Sourire de: to be amused by, smile at.[8][2]
  3. Of a thing, sourire à quelqu'un: to appeal to; to favour: la chance lui sourit.[8][4]
  4. (literary) To be bright, radiant: l'automne souriait.[8]

Noun

  1. A smile: avoir le sourire, garder le sourire.[8]

Word family

  • souriant

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
  5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 12, 350a
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert