torride

Forms

torride (plural torrides)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin torridus (“dried up, parched, scorching”), from torreō (“to dry, parch, roast”).^[2][3][4][5] The Latin verb also gave torrent, and torréfier is related.^[3][4]

Cognate with Old Occitan torrid, Spanish tórrido and Italian torrido.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1495, in an edition of Jean de Vignay's Miroir historial, of a region qu'on nomme torride “that is called torrid”, meaning very hot.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In French the word has always been tied to extreme heat, unlike Latin torridus, which also meant “dry” and “lean”.^[3] It was first used of the climate, especially in zone torride, the part of the earth between the tropics (Rabelais),^[3][2] also called simply la Torride from 1684.^[2] It was then applied to the air (1556), the sun (soleil torride, 1832) and heat (chaleur torride, 1872).^[3][2] In 1873 Littré noted that it was used only in zone torride, though people were beginning to say chaleur and température torride.^[6]

Since the 1970s or 1980s, under English influence, it has also been used figuratively of sex and eroticism.^[3][7]

Timeline

• 1495 – First record, of a very hot region.^[2]
• 1552 – Zone torride in Rabelais's Quart Livre.^[2]
• 1556 – Air torride, in Le Blanc's translation of Cardano.^[2][3]
• 1684 – La Torride as a noun for the torrid zone.^[2]
• 1832 – Soleil torride “burning sun”.^[2][3]
• 1872 – Chaleur torride.^[3]
• 1970s–1980s – Figurative sense “steamy, erotic”.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Extremely hot, torrid, scorching: climat torride, chaleur torride, as in Nous avons traversé la plaine par un après-midi torride.^[7][8][2]
2. (geography, dated) Zone torride: the part of the earth between the tropics.^[2][6]
3. (figurative) Sensual, steamy, passionate: Le film contient quelques scènes torrides.^[7][3][1]

Word family

• torridement

Related words

• torréfaction
• torrent
• torréfier
• Latin torridus

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 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 g h i j k 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. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse