Etymologically
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tortue

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /tɔʁ.ty/[1]

Forms

tortue f (plural tortues)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old Occitan tartuga, also “tortuga”, altered under the influence of tortu (“twisted”).[2][3][4][5][1] The Old Occitan word comes, by dissimilation, from Late Latin tartarūca, the feminine used as a noun of tartarūchus (“of Tartarus, of hell”),[2][3][4][6][7] from Ancient Greek ταρταροῦχος (tartaroûkhos, “dwelling in Tartarus”), from Τάρταρος (Tártaros), of unknown origin.[2][3][1][8] The tortoise stood for heresy and the powers of darkness, shown fighting the cock, the symbol of light; the name may come from phrases such as “bestia tartaruca” “beast of hell”.[2][3][4]

The same Latin word gave Italian tartaruga and Portuguese tartaruga, and Spanish tortuga has the same altered form.[4][3][1] Classical Latin called the animal testūdō, from testa (“shell”), which gave Old French “testue” (1213) in the military sense.[3] Littré derived the word from “tortu” alone, the animal having crooked feet.[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The chanson de geste Floovant (about 1190) names tortues et scarpanz, tortoises and other creatures.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The slow tortoise gave marcher comme une tortue (1648, Scarron), à pas de tortue, and a slow person is une tortue (1796); Brunetto Latini already wrote of a lazy man ce est une tortue.[2][6][9] Turtle soup appears in 1690 (potager de tortuës) and soupe à la tortue in 1825.[2]

As in Latin, the word also named a siege engine under which soldiers approached the walls (1575, Paré) and the shield-roof of Roman soldiers, the testudo (1606, Nicot).[2][9]

Timeline

  • c. 1190 – The reptile (Floovant).[2][4]
  • 1213 – Testue, the shield-roof.[3]
  • 1575 – A siege engine (Paré).[2]
  • 1606 – The testudo of Roman soldiers (Nicot).[2]
  • 1648 – Marcher comme une tortue (Scarron).[2]
  • 1694 – First recorded by the Académie.[2]
  • 1825 – Soupe à la tortue (Brillat-Savarin).[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A turtle or tortoise: tortue de mer, tortue terrestre.[10][1]
  2. (figurative) A very slow person: avancer comme une tortue.[10][2]
  3. (history) A testudo, a shield-roof formed by soldiers.[9][2]
  • tortu
  • English tortoise

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 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/1, 125a
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert