tempête

Forms

tempête f (plural tempêtes)^[1] Old French tempeste; the spelling tempête is recorded by Richelet in 1680.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French tempeste, inherited from Vulgar Latin *tempesta (“weather, bad weather”) (7th century, Reichenau Glosses), the feminine used as a noun of the Late Latin adjective tempestus (“timely”), from tempus (“time”).^[3][4][5][6] The Vulgar Latin word seems to have taken over the senses of Classical tempestās (“season, weather, storm, calamity”).^[3]

Old French also had tempesté (1119), from the accusative tempestātem, which disappeared before the inherited word, and the masculine tempest (about 1100).^[3][5][4] Cognate with Italian tempesta and Catalan tempesta; Spanish tempestad continues the Classical accusative.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Sermon on Jonah (938–950), for a violent wind with squalls of rain or hail at sea.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

From the start it meant a violent storm, especially at sea, with all its associations of shipwreck and danger; one also speaks of a tempête de neige or de sable.^[4] In marine meteorology it names a wind of force 10 on the Beaufort scale, and violente tempête force 11.^[4]

Figurative uses began in the 12th century: the sense “madness, melancholy” (about 1175) died out, but “torment, trouble of the soul” (1176–81 in the TLFi) lives on in images such as s'assurer un port dans la tempête (1669) and doubler le cap des tempêtes “to come through a crisis” (1872).^[4][3][2] Victor Hugo's chapter title Une tempête sous un crâne refers to the turmoil of the mind.^[4] From the early 13th century it also meant “noise, din”, in Old French chiefly in demener grant tempeste, a sense still felt as a metaphor in une tempête de….^[3][4] Noise and trouble meet in the sense “riot, political upheaval” (end of the 14th century).^[3][4] Une tempête dans un verre d'eau is recorded from 1849.^[2] English tempest was borrowed from Old French tempeste in the late 13th century.^[7]

Timeline

• 938–950 – Tempestes appears in the Sermon on Jonah.^[3]
• c. 1100 – The masculine tempest appears in the Chanson de Roland.^[3][8]
• 1119 – Philippe de Thaon uses the rival form tempesté.^[3]
• 1174–77 – Used for “ill-treatment, ravage” in the Roman de Renart.^[3]
• 1176–81 – Chrétien de Troyes uses it for a trouble of the mind.^[3]
• 1205–50 – Demener grant tempeste “to make a great din”.^[3]
• End of the 14th century – Used for political upheaval.^[3]
• 1680 – Richelet spells it tempête.^[2]
• 1849 – Une tempête dans un verre d'eau appears.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A storm: a violent disturbance of the atmosphere, with strong winds and often rain or hail.^[9][3]
2. Such a storm at sea, which puts ships in danger.^[9][8]
3. (meteorology) A wind of force 10 on the Beaufort scale.^[4]
4. (figurative) A sudden outburst of noise or feeling.^[3][4]
5. (figurative) Violent agitation of the mind;^[3][4] une tempête sous un crâne.^[3][4]
6. (figurative, dated) Political upheaval, unrest.^[3][4]

Word family

• tempêter

Related words

• temps
• intempérie
• Latin tempus
• English tempest

Usage notes

Une tempête dans un verre d'eau is a great fuss over a small matter.^[2] Le cap des Tempêtes is the old name of the Cape of Good Hope.^[9][8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/1, 177b
7. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert