Etymologically
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tranquille

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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

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