splendeur

Forms

splendeur f (plural splendeurs)^[1] Old French splendur, splendor, and the popular forms esplendur, esplendor, Middle French esplendeur.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin splendor (“brightness, magnificence, glory”).^[4][2][5] The Latin noun derives from splendeō (“to shine”), a mostly poetic verb of obscure origin;^[2][3] Rey finds a comparison with Lithuanian splendžiu (“I shine”) poorly founded.^[2][3] The modern form (about 1460) remade the older splendur.^[2][6]

Cognate with Italian splendore, Spanish esplendor, Portuguese esplendor and Occitan splendor.^[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as splendur in the Cambridge Psalter, meaning brightness; the GLLF and DHLF date the text about 1120, the TLFi the mid-12th century.^[4][3][2]

Semantic evolution

The popular forms with e- (esplendur, about 1190) were driven out by the learned forms.^[2] The word kept the Latin senses: a great brightness, also a radiant beauty from about 1460 in Chastellain.^[2][3] From the 16th century it was used figuratively for glory and honour (1552, Robert Estienne) and for pomp and magnificence (1636), notably in dans toute sa splendeur, sometimes ironic.^[2][3] Balzac's title Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes gave splendeurs et misères “greatness and weakness”, and une splendeur, a splendid thing, dates from 1836.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1120 – Splendur in the Cambridge Psalter.^[3][2]
• c. 1190 – The popular form esplendur.^[2]
• c. 1460 – Georges Chastellain writes splendeur.^[3][2]
• 1552 – Robert Estienne records the sense “glory”.^[3][2]
• 1636 – First record of the sense “magnificence, pomp”.^[2]
• 1836 – Une splendeur “a splendid thing” in Balzac.^[3][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (literary) A great brilliance of light.^[9][10][11]
2. Magnificent beauty, splendour.^[9][10]
3. Glory, prosperity: au temps de sa splendeur.^[9][10][11]
4. Dans toute sa splendeur (ironic): in its full, absolute form.^[9][2]
5. A splendid thing: Ce château est une splendeur.^[9][10]

Related words

• splendide
• resplendir
• Latin splendor

References

1. ^ a b 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b 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. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
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
9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)