studio

Forms

studio m (plural studios)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from English studio (“artist's workshop”) (1819), which is from Italian studio (“painter's or sculptor's workshop”), from Latin studium (“study”).^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Bloch and Wartburg call the English source Anglo-American;^[4] the Wiktionary takes the word straight from Italian,^[1] and the GLLF calls it an Italian word.^[7] It is a doublet of étude.^[1][2] In English it was first used of artists in Italy or of Italy.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in 1830, in a French translation of Lady Morgan's La France en 1829 et 1830, for an artist's workshop;^[8][2][7] Bloch and Wartburg and the Petit Robert date it to 1829.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

Used of English artists from 1837, the sense “artist's workshop” stayed a learned term of art history, but survived for the workshop of an art photographer (1906).^[2] After the Latin, French also gave it the sense “study, room for work” (1904, Romain Rolland), now out of use.^[8][2]

From about 1908 it named the premises where films are shot,^[2][7][5] and later rooms for radio broadcasts (1933), for making records (1935) and for television (1939).^[8] The sense “small cinema showing films for connoisseurs” (1927) is found only in French.^[2][8] A studio was also a room used as sitting room and bedroom (1914 or 1918), and since 1928 a one-room flat, replacing garçonnière in this sense;^[2][8] from that came studette (1969).^[2] By extension it names a rehearsal room for dancers, singers or actors (1941 or 1955).^[8][2]

Timeline

• 1819 – English studio “artist's workroom”.^[6][2]
• 1830 – First French record, in a translation of Lady Morgan.^[8][2]
• 1904 – Romain Rolland uses it for a study.^[8]
• c. 1908 – Used of a film studio.^[2][5]
• 1914 – Used of a photographer's workshop.^[8]
• 1927 – Used of a small cinema for art films.^[8][2]
• 1928 – Used of a one-room flat.^[8][2]
• 1933 – Used of a radio studio.^[8]
• 1935 – Used of a recording studio.^[8][2]
• 1969 – The derivative studette appears.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (dated) An artist's studio or the workshop of an art photographer.^[5][8]
2. The premises where films are shot: tourner en studio.^[5][8]
3. A room equipped for recording or broadcasting (radio, television, records): un studio d'enregistrement.^[5][1]
4. A one-room flat.^[5][1]
5. A small cinema showing films for connoisseurs.^[5][2]
6. A rehearsal room for dancers, singers or actors.^[2][8]

Word family

• studette

Related words

• étude
• Italian studio
• Latin studium

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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 s t Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ 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