tourterelle

Forms

tourterelle f (plural tourterelles)^[1] Old French turtrele (about 1050), turterele (about 1200) and torterele (about 1265); the spelling tourterelle dates from about 1380.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French turtrele, inherited from Vulgar Latin *turturella, an altered form of Latin turturilla, the diminutive of turtur (“turtle dove”).^[2][3][5][4] The TLFi gives turturella as a Late Latin form;^[2] Seneca used the classical diminutive figuratively of an effeminate man.^[3][5] Rey calls the simple word an imitative reduplicated word, like murmur and susurrus, naming a bird that coos.^[3]

The simple word survives better in the Romance languages: Italian tortora, Spanish tórtola, Old Occitan tortre and Old French turtre (about 1120), later tourtre, which poets used until the 18th century.^[3][5] The diminutive is cognate with Italian tortorella, Romanian turturea and Spanish tortolilla.^[6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as turtrele in the Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050), where the saint's bride says she will live like a turtle dove now that she has lost him: Ore vivrai en guise de turtrele.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

The bird was a model of faithfulness and chastity: Brunetto Latini describes the turtle dove as a bird of great chastity that lives far from people, and Charles d'Orléans praises the loyalle turterelle that stays alone after losing its mate.^[7] The word became an affectionate form of address,^[3] and Littré records ils s'aiment comme deux tourterelles of a young couple deeply in love.^[7] Rey notes that, unlike pigeon, it never took on familiar or pejorative senses.^[3]

Like pigeon, it gave a colour name: tourterelle alone for a very soft grey (1819), and gris tourterelle (1845).^[2][3][8] Littré also gives it as the name of a shell of the genus Strombus.^[7] The masculine tourtereau was formed from it (1694), and is mostly used of young lovers.^[3][5]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – Turtrele appears in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[2][3]
• c. 1200 – The form turterele is recorded.^[2]
• c. 1265 – Brunetto Latini writes torterele.^[9][7]
• c. 1380 – The spelling tourterelle appears.^[3][4]
• 1819 – First used for a soft grey colour.^[2][8]
• 1845 – Gris tourterelle is recorded.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A turtle dove, a bird of the pigeon family, smaller and slimmer than the pigeon, with a plaintive cooing;^[2][10][1] tourterelle des bois and tourterelle turque are the two best-known species in France.^[2][10][1]
2. (figurative) A term of endearment.^[3]
3. (apposition) Gris tourterelle: a very soft dove grey; also tourterelle alone.^[10][2][1]
4. (dated) A shell of the genus Strombus.^[7]

Word family

• tourtereau

Related words

• tourtre
• Latin turtur

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 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 l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ a b c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert