tardif

Forms

tardif (feminine tardive, masculine plural tardifs, feminine plural tardives)^[1] Old French also has the nominative tardis and tardius.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French tardif, inherited from Late Latin tardīvus, derived from tardus (“slow”).^{[2][4][5][6][1]} The TLFi notes that the Late Latin word is found in the Tironian notes, and that the sense “late” developed later in the spoken language, the proper word in Latin being sērus.^[2] Etymonline cites de Vaan as giving the Latin adjective no etymology.^[7]

Cognate with Italian tardivo, Spanish tardío and Occitan tardiu.^[5][6][3] It was borrowed into English as tardy in the late 15th century.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Cambridge Psalter (first half of the 12th century) in tardis a forsenerie, translating Latin ad furorem tardus “slow to anger”, of a person slow to act.^[2]

Semantic evolution

For a long time it kept the senses of Latin tardus, of slowness in a literal sense, with à from the 13th century (tardif a croire, “slow to believe”), and in a figurative sense of the mind (1380, and Calvin's esprit tardif, 1561); these were still alive in 17th-century classical usage.^[5][2] It also meant “coming too late to act” (about 1160) and “late in the day or night” (about 1200, hore tardive).^[2]

Modern usage applies it to what appears late in a period (1560) and, as the opposite of précoce, to plants and animals that develop later than usual (1538, of fruit).^[5][2] Gautier de Coinci named the snail Tardis (about 1223), a name Etymonline links to the Roman de Renart.^[2][7]

Timeline

• 1100–1150 – Tardis “slow to act” in the Cambridge Psalter.^[2]
• c. 1160 – In the Roman d'Eneas, of someone coming too late.^[2]
• c. 1200 – Hore tardive “a late hour” in the Dialogues of Gregory.^[2]
• c. 1223 – Gautier de Coinci calls the snail Tardis.^[2]
• late 15th century – English borrows it as tardy.^[7]
• 1538 – Robert Estienne uses it of fruit that ripens late.^[2]
• 1561 – Calvin writes esprit tardif “slow mind”.^[2]
• 1636 – Monet records agneau tardif, a lamb born late in the season.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Coming or happening late, towards the end of a period or a process; belated, as in latin tardif, Late Latin, and Antiquité tardive, late antiquity.^[8][1]
2. Happening late in the day or the night: une heure tardive.^[8][2]
3. Of plants, fruit or animals: ripening or developing later than usual, as opposed to précoce.^[8][3][5]
4. (archaic) Slow to act;^[8][2] tardif à with an infinitive, slow to do something.^[8][2]

Word family

• tardiveté
• tardivement

Related words

• tard
• tarder
• Latin tardus
• English tardy

References

1. ^ a b c d 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 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 Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/1, 118a
5. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert