tréteau

Forms

tréteau m (plural tréteaux)^[1] Old French trestel (before 1150), plural traitiaus (about 1200) and tresteaus (13th century); singular tresteau (about 1460) and tréteau (1599).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French trestel, inherited from Vulgar Latin *trānstellum, an alteration of Late Latin trānstillum (“small beam, crosspiece”), the diminutive of Latin trānstrum (“crossbeam, rowers' bench”).^[3][2][5][6] The regular outcome would have been ⟨trateau⟩; the form with ⟨tre-⟩ is probably due to the many Old French words beginning with the prefix tres-, from Latin trāns (“across”).^[3][2][5][4] Rey calls the Latin formation in ⟨-strum⟩ enigmatic.^[2]

The Latin base itself survives in Italian trasto, Spanish trasto and Old French trastre “trestle, beam”.^[2][5][3] English trestle was borrowed from the Old French word about 1300.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest record, a gloss in Adam of Petit-Pont's De Utensilibus (before 1150), uses the plural trestels for a kind of drinking vessel on a foot; about 1200 trestel names a beam on legs used as a support.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From the sense “beam on four legs” supporting a table, a scaffold or a platform, the plural came to mean the whole structure, and especially the open-air stage of fairground players (1669, and Boileau's sur deux tréteaux monté, 1674).^[2][3] The figurative monter sur les tréteaux “to become an actor” was at first disparaging.^[2]

The word also named an instrument of torture (1611, Cotgrave), a poor horse in turf slang (1893) and, in Bruant (1901), the legs.^[2][3]

Timeline

• before 1150 – Plural trestels “footed drinking vessels” in Adam of Petit-Pont.^[3]
• c. 1200 – Trestel “trestle, support” in the Mort Garin le Lorrain.^[3]
• c. 1300 – English borrows it as trestel.^[7]
• c. 1460 – Villon writes the singular tresteau.^[4][2]
• 1599 – The spelling tréteau is recorded.^[2][4]
• 1611 – Cotgrave records it as an instrument of torture.^[3]
• 1674 – Boileau uses the plural for the stage of street players.^[3]
• 1893 – Turf slang uses it for a bad horse.^[3][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A trestle: a horizontal beam on two pairs of legs set in an inverted V, used as a support: une planche posée sur deux tréteaux.^[8][3]
2. (plural) The structure formed by such supports and the boards laid on them.^[8]
3. (plural, dated) A fairground stage for popular shows;^[8][2] monter sur les tréteaux: to become an actor.^[8][2]

Related words

• Latin trānstrum
• English trestle

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
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. 13/2, 216b
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert