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stellaire

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Etymology and origin of the French word stellaire

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1778 More words from the 18th century
Borrowed from
Latin stellaris
Ultimate origin
Latin stella
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin stēlla
Italian stella
Romanian stea
Spanish estrella
Latin stēllāris
English stellar
French stellaire
Romanian stelar
Italian stellare
Spanish estrellar
From the same root
Latin cōnstēllātiō ← stēlla
Latin stēllō ← stēlla
English interstellar ← stellar

Pronunciation

Forms

stellaire (plural stellaires)[1]

Etymology

The adjective is borrowed from Late Latin stellāris (“of a star, astral”),[2][3][4][5] a derivative of stella (“star”), the source also of étoile.[2][6][7] The plant name comes from Renaissance scientific Latin stellāria, formed from the same Late Latin adjective for the plant's star-shaped flowers.[6][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Bloch and Wartburg date the word to 1778 without giving its sense;[2][3] the noun naming the plant is recorded in 1781 (Durande), after the Latin form stellaria (1615 in Daléchamps, 1695 in the Petit Robert).[8][6][9]

Semantic evolution

The adjective took over the Late Latin sense and serves as the adjective of étoile: star-shaped, radiating (1812) and relating to the stars (1835, Académie),[2][6] close to astral.[6][9] Jour stellaire was replaced by jour sidéral.[6][7] Medicine uses it of star-shaped structures (abcès stellaire, 1924, ganglion stellaire, 1953).[2] Proust used it figuratively of eyes (1927).[2]

Timeline

  • 1615 – Daléchamps names the plant stellaria.[8]
  • 1778 – First record of stellaire.[3]
  • 1781 – Stellaire names the plant.[8][9]
  • 1803 – The compound interstellaire appears.[6]
  • 1812 – Mozin-Biber records “radiating like a star”.[2]
  • 1835 – The Académie records “relating to the stars”.[2]
  • 1953 – Ganglion stellaire is recorded.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of or relating to the stars, stellar: la lumière stellaire.[9][2]
  2. Made up of stars: des amas stellaires.[2]
  3. Star-shaped, radiating: (anatomy) ganglion stellaire.[2][7]

Noun

  1. (botany, feminine) Stitchwort, a plant of the genus Stellaria with small star-shaped white flowers, one species of which is mouron des oiseaux (chickweed).[9][2]

Word family

  • interstellaire

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 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 12, 254a
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Stellaire.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/stellaire. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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