suffisance

Forms

suffisance f (plural suffisances)^[1] Old French souffisanche and soffisance;^[2][3] the modern spelling is from the end of the 14th century.^[4]

Etymology

It is formed from French suffisant + -ance.^[2][4][1] suffisant is the present participle of suffire, which is a remodelling after Latin of Old French soufire, from Latin sufficiō (“to put under, supply; to suffice”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as souffisanche, “contentment, satisfaction”, in the Reclus de Molliens' Charité (first quarter of the 13th century).^[2][3] The Anglo-Norman Dictionary has records from as early as 1136–65.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The sense followed that of the adjective suffisant.^[3] In the Roman de la Rose (1269–78) soffisance is what is enough to live on: there it is sofisance, not treasure, that makes a man rich.^[2][7] A souffisance (1370, Oresme) and en suffisance (1601) mean “in sufficient quantity”.^[2][3] At the turn of the 15th century it also meant ability, intellectual capacity, as in Montaigne's ma suffisance.^[2][7] From 1588 it took the pejorative sense of presumption, too high an opinion of one's own worth, which has become the usual one.^[2][3] In the 20th century it also named the property of what is its own reason for being.^[3]

Timeline

• 1200–1225 – Souffisanche “contentment” in the Reclus de Molliens' Charité.^[2]
• 1269–78 – Soffisance in Jean de Meun's Roman de la Rose, for what is enough to live on.^[2]
• 1370 – Oresme uses a souffisance “sufficiently”.^[2]
• c. 1400 – Eustache Deschamps uses it for ability, intellectual capacity.^[2]
• 1588 – Montaigne uses it for presumption.^[2]
• 1601 – Charron uses en suffisance.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (old or regional) A sufficient quantity: avoir sa suffisance, en suffisance.^[8]
2. Smugness, self-importance, conceit: parler avec suffisance.^[8][1][9]
3. (old) Sufficiency, ability, capacity.^[2][1]

Word family

• insuffisance
• autosuffisance

Related words

• suffisant
• suffire
• English sufficiency

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)