tranquille

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tʁɑ̃.kil/^[1]

Forms

tranquille (plural tranquilles)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin tranquillus (“calm, peaceful, serene”), used first of the sea and then of people, as opposed to “īrātus” “angry”.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Rey thinks its first value may have been transparency, leading to serenity; the word is of obscure origin and has been compared with quiēs (“rest”) (see quiet).^[3] The Anglo-Norman “tranquille” is recorded much earlier, in 1136–65.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Georges Chastellain's Chronique (about 1460–70) has que ta mort te rende patience tranquille “peaceful, serene”.^[2][3][8]

Semantic evolution

Montaigne wrote of a vie solitaire, tranquille et philosophique (1580), and Palissy of still water.^[2] From the 17th century it described a person or animal that keeps quiet and does not disturb others (1667), and one who feels secure: Mme de Sévigné's soyez tranquille sur ma santé (1680).^[3][2] Laisser quelqu'un tranquille is in Rousseau (about 1770), and tranquille comme Baptiste (1808) alludes to a comic type of placid simpleton.^[3][8] The baume tranquille (1684) was a soothing decoction.^[2][3] In familiar French it is used as an adverb, also tranquille pépère, and the slang tranquillos appears in the 1970s.^[3]

Timeline

• 1136–65 – Anglo-Norman tranquille.^[7]
• c. 1190 – Tranquillité.^[3]
• 1420 – Tranquilliser.^[3]
• c. 1460 – Georges Chastellain.^[2]
• 1541 – Tranquillement.^[3]
• 1680 – Soyez tranquille, Mme de Sévigné.^[2]
• c. 1770 – Laisser tranquille, Rousseau.^[8]
• 1808 – Tranquille comme Baptiste.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Calm, quiet, still: une mer tranquille, un quartier tranquille.^[9][10]
2. Peaceful, untroubled: une vie tranquille, avoir la conscience tranquille.^[9][2]
3. Of a person, quiet, well-behaved: un enfant tranquille, se tenir tranquille, laisser quelqu'un tranquille, to leave someone alone.^[11][8]
4. Free from worry: soyez tranquille, don't worry.^[2][11]

Adverb

1. (familiar) Quietly, easily, without fuss: il a gagné tranquille.^[3]

Word family

• tranquillement
• tranquilliser
• tranquillisant
• tranquillos

Related words

• tranquillité
• Latin tranquillus
• English tranquil

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. ^ 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/2, 197a
7. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette